BIOTRANSFORMATION OF USED MEANS OF PERSONAL HYGIENE OF COSMONAUTS AND VEGETABLE WASTE AS APPLIED TO LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR SPACE CREWS

Abstract

In this paper a possibility of applying anaerobic digestion for reduction and stabilization of the organic fraction of solid wastes generated during piloted spacecraft flights is discussed. The culture of Trihoderma viridae, capable of utilizing cellulose-containing substrates under mesophilic conditions, was studied. The strain was isolated from the internal environment of the ISS. The main purpose of the work was to test the ability of Trihoderma viridae culture to consume the products of anaerobic decomposition of gauze tissue under space flight conditions, i.e. substrate for the cultivation of the fungus served as liquid media, formed after the decomposition of thermophilic clostridia gauze wipes. Under conditions of space flight, the culture of Trihoderma viridae reduced the total concentration of volatile organic impurities remaining after the biodegradation of gauze from 34 mg / m3 to 5 mg / m3. The number of detectable volatile compounds decreased almost twice. The carried out researches have shown that the post-cleaning of liquid products of hydrolysis of gauze fabric with the help of cellulolytic fungi can be an effective component of utilization of cosmonaut hygiene items with the help of microbial communities in space flight conditions. Also under terrestrial conditions, the liquid products of biodegradation of plant wastes were further purified with the help of a community of aerobic bacteria. Chromatomass-spectrometric analysis showed that the consortium composed of aerobic mesophilic bacteria actively consumed products present in vegetable homogenates.