Biological Pretreatment Methods Research Articles

A green approach to enhance the adsorption capacity: Synthesis of bamboo-based adsorbent by biological pretreatment

Biochar is a low-cost, environmentally friendly adsorbent used in the sewage treatment industry. In most cases, environmentally unfriendly chemical methods are employed when people make attempts to improve its adsorption properties. In this paper, a biological pretreatment method was used to degrade cellulose, which increases the controllable space of pore structure and the specific surface area of the material, thus improving its adsorption performance. Bamboo was first exposed to Trichoderma koningii for three weeks, which was followed by slow pyrolysis to produce biochar. Then, the carbon precursor was crushed and pyrolyzed using KOH to afford an adsorbent. The adsorbent was characterized by multiple approaches, and the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) on it was investigated in detail. In addition, the possible adsorption mechanism was also discussed. Compared with the MB adsorption capacity of the raw bamboo-derived biochar (9.92 mg/g), that of the newly developed adsorbent is enhanced by 25 times (248.57 mg/g), which is benefited from the pretreatment with Trichoderma koningii. And after 5 times of repeated recycling, the removal efficiency of 75.92% could still be maintained. It is expected that bamboo-based adsorbents prepared using Trichoderma koningii-treated bamboo will have a broad application prospect in the field of dye wastewater treatment.

Experimental Investigations on the Effect of Pretreatment in Anaerobic Digestion of Coir Pith Agro Waste

The coir industry in India’s southern coastal regions, especially in the state of Kerala, is becoming increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of the accumulation and incremental increase of coir pith each year. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of pretreatment on the anaerobic digestion of coir pith. The characterization study of coir pith shows high organic content, which can be anaerobically digested to produce biogas. But, the high lignin content (30.91%) makes the process slow. To overcome this, a biological pretreatment method was tried using two microbial cultures belonging to fungal genera known to be lignin decomposers, viz., Trichoderma and Pleurotus. By using Trichoderma, lignin content was reduced by 3.7%, and the maximum gas production was obtained in a shorter time (19 days) in comparison with the sample without any pretreatment (24 days). When Pleurotus was used for lignin degradation, the lignin content was reduced by 6.78%, and the maximum gas production was obtained in a much shorter time period (14 days) in comparison with the former two methods. The gas produced comprises 74 ppm of methane, which has fuel value. The sludge after digestion was tested, which indicated a marginal increase in NPK value and hence can be used as fertilizer. The results of the study appear to be quite promising in the transition towards green energy by providing scope for the process of biomethanation, with the conclusion that further research can transform coir pith into a good renewable energy resource.

Biological treatment as a green approach for enhancing electrochemical performance of wood derived carbon based supercapacitor electrodes

Wood-derived biochar is an eco-friendly and porous carbon material that can be used to prepare supercapacitor electrodes. For the purpose of addressing the deficiencies in the specific surface area and pore structure of wood-derived carbon as the raw material of electrodes, a biological pre-treatment method was developed to construct the desirable pore structure of wood by leveraging the lignin-degrading property of white-rot fungi. First, white-rot fungi with permeability and biodegradability on lignocellulosic substrates were used to regulate the pore structure of natural paulownia wood, which was then carbonized to produce a porous hyphae/wood-derived carbon conductive substrate. Afterward, manganese dioxide (MnO2) was deposited on the substrate to fabricate the MnO2/hyphae/wood-derived carbon (HWC-3M) electrode by the hydrothermal method. The degradation of lignin by white-rot fungi broke the original pore structure of wood, strengthened effective channels in the cell walls, and facilitated the loading of MnO2 into the channels to improve the ion transport rate. The HWC-3M had richer energy storage sites, more electrolyte ion transport channels, and better electrochemical performance than the control electrode made of untreated wood-derived carbon (HWC-0), showing an excellent areal specific capacitance (3395 mF/cm2 at a current density of 1.0 mA/cm2), moderate gravimetric specific capacitance (138.3 F/g), and good cycling stability (retention of 88.6% after 2000 cycles). The results indicate that pretreating wood-derived carbon composite electrode with white-rot fungi serves as a new green approach to develop high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices.

Anaerobic Digestion of Lignocellulosic Biomass: Substrate Characteristics (Challenge) and Innovation

Modern society is characterised by its outstanding capacity to generate waste. Lignocellulosic biomass is most abundant in nature and is biorenewable and contains energy sources formed via biological photosynthesis from the available atmospheric carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight. It is composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, constituting a complex polymer. The traditional disposal of these types of waste is associated with several environmental and public health effects; however, they could be harnessed to produce several value-added products and clean energy. Moreover, the increase in population and industrialisation have caused current energy resources to be continuously exploited, resulting in the depletion of global fuel reservoirs. The overexploitation of resources has caused negative environmental effects such as climate change, exacerbating global greenhouse gas emissions. In the quest to meet the world’s future energy needs and adequate management of these types of waste, the anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass has remained the focus, attracting great interest as a sustainable alternative to fossil carbon resources. However, substrate characteristics offer recalcitrance to the process, which negatively impacts the methane yield. Nevertheless, the biodigestibility of these substrates can be enhanced through chemical, physical, and biological pretreatment methods, leading to improvement in biogas yields. Furthermore, the co-digestion of these substrates with other types and adding specific nutrients as trace elements or inoculum will help to adjust substrate characteristics to a level appropriate for efficient anaerobic digestion and increased biogas yield.

Review on the Pre-treatment Advancements of Biogas Production Barriers

Biogas production is a promising renewable energy source that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve environmental health. Substrate pre-treatment methods, including physical, chemical, and biological methods can increase biogas yields and reduce operational costs. This review assessed the advancements in substrate pre-treatment methods for biogas production, while exploring potential benefits and drawbacks of various techniques. Physical pre-treatment methods, such as chopping, grinding, steam explosion, and high-pressure homogenization, have been found to increase biogas yield despite requiring high energy consumption and expensive equipment. Chemical pre-treatment methods involving acid and alkaline hydrolysis have been effective, but can be costly and generate hazardous wastes. The biological pre-treatment methods utilized microorganisms or enzymes, have advantages of higher biogas yields, shorter process time, and eco-friendliness. Future research can focus on developing more efficient and targeted pre-treatment methods using nanotechnology and genetic engineering, optimizing existing methods, and combining multiple pre-treatment methods to enhance efficiency. Improving pre-treatment methods can lead to benefits such as increased biogas production, reduced costs, and improved waste management practices.

Biological pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse for the production of fungal laccase and bacterial cellulase.

Sugarcane bagasse (SB) is a promising source of appreciable quantities of fermentable sugars. However, the presence of lignin hinders utilization of these carbohydrates and hence pretreatment to remove lignin is necessarily carried out. Here, a biological pretreatment method was synchronized with the production of a thermostable cellulase using SB as a raw material. Initially, bagasse was fermented by a laccase producing fungus, Trametes pubescens MB 89 under solid state fermentation (SSF) and a titer of 1758 IU mL-1 of laccase was obtained. Investigations of nine factors affecting laccase production through Plackett Burman design improved the titers to 6539 IU mL-1 . Five factors (incubation period, concentration of CuSO4 , temperature, moisture content, and particle size) were found significant which were optimized through Central Composite design leading to an improvement in the titers by ~5 folds (8841 IU mL-1 ). Biologically pretreated SB was fermented by a thermophilic bacterium, Neobacillus sedimentimangrovi UE25, that yielded 8.64 IU mL-1 of cellulase. Delignification and cellulose utilization were affirmed by structural analysis through FTIR and SEM. The synchronized process yielded higher titers of laccase and cellulase under SSF of SB with the minimum use of corrosive chemicals.

Effect of chemical, physical, and biological pre-treatment of food wastes on bio-hydrogen production by dark anaerobic fermentation under mesophilic conditions

ABSTRACT With an overall aim of utilizing lignocellulosic food waste as feedstock for anaerobic fermentation and optimizing the reaction for improving energy output, a two-stage anaerobic dark fermentation reactor was set up. This study discusses the evaluation of different pre-treatment methods used to pre-treat the food waste before using it as a substrate for anaerobic fermentation. Five different techniques from physical, chemical, and biological pre-treatment methods, namely, autoclaving, acid pre-treatment, alkali pre-treatment, aeration, and fungal pre-treatment were used for pre-treatment of the substrate. The analysis was also evaluated by the multilevel categoric factorial design of the experiment model. The experiment found that all five pre-treatments improved the hydrogen and methane yield from the reaction. More precisely, fungal pre-treatment shows an almost 3.8-fold improvement in hydrogen yield compared to control conditions and a 1.7-fold increase in methane yield compared to control. The statistical analysis showed that the reaction time duration (day) has a more significant impact on the results than the pre-treatment technique. The model’s F-Values of 24.14 for hydrogen yield and 44.34 for methane yield indicate substantially. However, the actual hydrogen and methane yields are in good accord with the DOE predicted results.

Enhancement of Biogas Production from Sawdust through Sustainable Alkaline and Biological Pretreatment Methods

This study aims to enhance biogas production from sawdust fibers Quercus genus (oak) using sustainable pretreatment methods. Sawdust and poultry dung (substrates) were obtained in Ogbomoso and delignification of oak samples was carried out through gravimetric method on 5, 10, and 15 days before and after digestion. Physico-chemical parameters were analyzed according to American Public Health Association (APHA) (2018) standard. Anaerobic digestion on substrates was performed through alkaline and biological pretreatment processes, biogas samples were collected and analyzed using gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. Pretreatment results for delignification of raw sawdust, alkaline and biological pretreated at 5, 10 and 15 days were; 13.5, 2.0, 1.5, 1.0 and 1.0 in mg/l. Physico-chemical results of substrates before and after digestion respectively were; pH (7.38, 8.12); alkalinity (350, 475); Nitrogen (25.5, 38.2); Phosphorus (2.67, 2.43); Carbon (192.8, 342.1); Potassium (4.1, 3.5); Phosphate (56.0, 128); Sulphate (74.0; 69.0), Calcium (12, 44); Magnesium (65, 36); Manganese (0.010, 0.031), Iron (5.2, 6.1); Zinc (25.0, 17.4); Aluminium (0.35, 0.34); Copper (2.5, 2.5); Biochemical Oxygen Demand (110, 175); Chemical Oxygen Demand (964, 1440); Carbon/Nitrogen ratio (8:1, 9:1); Volatile Solids (1216, 4560); Moisture Content (25.8%, 63.1); Total Solids (66.2%, 17.8%) and Volume of Solids (58.2%, 77.7%) in mg/l. Biogas samples composition from biological and alkaline pretreatments were: Methane (65.05%, 62.27%); and Carbon Dioxide (17.51%, 13.28%). Both pretreatment methods produced enough methane percentages, but biological pretreatment performed better. This work is applicable in sustainable biogas production for environmental protection.

Physical, chemical, and bio-pretreatments on microbial gas production in Baode Block coal.

Currently, the exploitation of Baode Block as a biogenic coal-bed gas field has been in the later stage of stable production; hence, exploration and activation of microbial gas production are of great practical significance for the enhancement and stabilization of block production. Pretreatment is the key process to improve anaerobic biodegradation performance and increase yield and production rate of gas. In this study, we examine physical, chemical, and biological pretreatment methods and compare their effectiveness toward microbial gas production in the coal seam. The obtained results indicate that: (1) grinding can enhance contact between the coal sample and bacteria liquid, and coal powder has greater gas-producing performance than the coal lump. (2) Chemical pretreatment of coal samples using acid and base can enhance gas production capacity. NaOH treatment has better gas-producing performance than HCl treatment, and the activity of microbial flora is higher after treatment. (3) Biological pretreatment can greatly enhance the microbial degradation of coal bed. The highest gas yield after white rot fungus pretreatment is 11.65 m3/t, and gas production cycle is shorter than before. This may be due to the white rot fungus effectively degrading macromolecules and, therefore, shortening the duration of methanogenic hydrolysis, which provides more organic matter for methanogens to decompose. During production, in addition to selecting a proper pretreatment method, the treatment cost and balance between energy input of pretreatment and gas energy output must also be considered. The joint pretreatment between different reagents and treatment methods is a possible solution to the problem and a current research trend to realize the large-scale degradation of coal. The simulated microbial methane production of coal seam is feasible for Baode Block in Ordos, where coal samples in this block have great gas-producing potential after treatment, and provides good references for further in-field tests.

Combining biological and chemical methods to disassemble of cellulose from corn straw for the preparation of porous carbons with enhanced adsorption performance

In this study, we used a combination of chemical and biological pretreatment methods to extract cellulose from corn straw with a relative content of 92.40%. The adsorption performance and mechanism of the prepared porous carbon were investigated using synthetic dye malachite green (MG) and antibiotic tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) as adsorption models. The kinetic studies suggested that the adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order model and Bangham model. The Freundlich isotherm model fitted the adsorption data best for both MG and TC. The thermodynamic studies showed that the adsorption of MG and TC by adsorbents were spontaneous and endothermic in nature. In addition, the adsorption performance was maintained at 50% of the original value after five cycles. More importantly, this method not only improved the adsorption performance of prepared porous carbon materials but also provides a reference for the application of other lignocellulosic materials for cellulose extraction.

Nutrient influence on acidogenesis and native microbial community of Agave bagasse

This study reports the start-up, acclimation, and performance of an acidogenesis process as a biological pretreatment method to solubilize Agave bagasse fibers using the native microbiota. The effects of nutrients were evaluated on acidogenesis performance (volatile fatty acid [VFA] production; soluble chemical oxygen demand [sCOD], and VFA yield) in a reactor R(+) supplemented with urea, phosphate salts, and calcium ions and contrasted with a control reactor R(-) containing distilled water. The native microbial lasted ca. 70 days to stabilize the primary technological parameters. Under stable conditions, R(+) improved VFA production by 5 times (101 ± 12 mgCOD/g), sCOD by 1.5 times (137 ± 33 mgsCOD/g), and VFA yield by 45 times (634 ± 54 mgCOD/gremoved) compared with R(-). In R(+) nutrient supplementation promoted an alkaline pH due to urea hydrolysis and the major VFA were acetic acid > butyric acid > and propionic acid. In contrast, in R(-) the pH acidified rapidly and the major VFA were acetic acid > butyric acid > and lactic acid. In R(+) thrived Cellulomonas, Gordonia, and Pseudoclavibacter. In contrast, in R(-) pH became rapidly acidic promoting the growth of several bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Beijerinckia that correlated positively with acid lactic production. In both reactors, Caproiciproduces was linked to the production of VFA acetate, propionate, and butyrate. Findings demonstrate that the native microbiota of Agave bagasse fibers contained members that depending on the nutrient supplementation solubilized the fibers towards the VFA production with different compositions and yield.

New approach to encapsulation of Trametes versicolor in calcium alginate beads: a promising biological pretreatment method for enhanced anaerobic digestion

New approach to encapsulation of Trametes versicolor in calcium alginate beads: a promising biological pretreatment method for enhanced anaerobic digestion

A Feasibility Study about Cellulosic Ethanol Industrialization

The second-generation of biomass ethanol, also known as cellulosic ethanol, is a major topic of discussion. The immaturity of pretreatment technology is one of the main factors restricting the scale-up of the second-generation bio-ethanol technology. Appropriate pretreatment methods can improve the accessibility of cellulose, reducing the cost of separating cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, while increasing the yield of cellulosic ethanol. Pretreatment methods are mainly divided into four categories, namely chemical pretreatment, physical and chemical pretreatment, physical pretreatment as well as biological pretreatment methods. By analyzing the principles, effects, advantages and disadvantages of the popular pretreatment methods, whether they were suitable for industrialization were assessed. According to the results, chemical treatment methods are most frequently used but restricted to the high cost, difficulty in recovery, the impact of organic solvents and the safety problems. Physicochemical pretreatment methods are popular but has the problem of high energy cost. Besides, biological methods are not suitable for industrialization due to the high time-consuming and low degradation efficiency. Physical pretreatment is currently only a supplement of chemical pretreatment and physicochemical pretreatment, while due to its advantages such as the efficiency of pretreatment, reduction of the dosage of chemicals and low cost, it is worth being studied in the future.

Biological pretreatment of biomass to decrease energy consumption in mechanical defiberization process

It is critical to develop sustainable, effective, and innovative technologies for society, particularly for processing of biomass, so that the green/ sustainable advantages can be extended to the final products. This review examined two-step biological-mechanical defiberization of lignocellulosic biomass to produce fibers. Two biological pretreatment methods of fungi and enzymes were mainly introduced, with particular focus on the energy consumption. Potential application methods, advantages, disadvantages, process economics, and future prospects of two biological pretreatment methods were considered to derive a complete road map for the proposed process. With the help of biological pretreatment, the mechanical pulping production could not only improve the paper strength, but also decrease energy consumption at about 40%. This process fits well with the green/sustainable strategy to produce lignocellulosic fibers with reasonable quality while having minimal environmental impact.

The Mixed Fermentation Technology of Solid Wastes of Agricultural Biomass

Due to the large quantity and wide range of solid wastes of the biomass, and the dual characteristics of pollution and resource utilization, the energy utilization of anaerobic fermentation can promote its pollution control, so the mixed fermentation technology of solid wastes of agricultural biomass was studied. Corn straw, pig manure and kitchen waste were selected as solid wastes of agricultural biomass. A system including a temperature control device, a fermentation device and a gas gathering device is used to measure the content and pH value of biogas and methane. Physical, chemical and biological pretreatment methods were used to strengthen the anaerobic reference of biomass, and the mixed fermentation of different biomass was used to complete the anaerobic fermentation of a variety of solid wastes of agricultural biomass. The results showed that pig manure and corn straw were suitable for medium temperature fermentation at 30 ℃, while cow manure and corn straw were suitable for high temperature fermentation at 60 ℃. In the process of anaerobic fertilization, when the ratio of cow dung to sludge is 2: 1, 3: 1 and 4: 1 respectively, the methane content is shown as follows: 1. The first 130 days are relatively stable and then slowly decreased; 2. The first 120 d are slowly increased, and then it rises to the maximum value at 140 d and then remains unchanged; 3. It remains at 2% all the time. After the mixture of cow manure and sludge, the higher the proportion of cow manure is, the higher the pH value in the initial stage of anaerobic fertilization is. The higher the basicity of methanogens in the fermentation liquid inside the fermentation tank is, the higher the pH value of the system is, and the basicity of methanogens has a significant positive correlation with the crude protein content of biomass.

Effect of difluoroacetic acid and biological matrices on the development of a liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method for determination of intact growth factor proteins

In biological systems, variable protein expression is a crucial marker for numerous diseases, including cancer. The vast majority of liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry-based quantitative protein assays use bottom-up methodologies, where proteins are subjected to proteolytic cleavage prior to analysis. Here, the effect of difluoroacetic acid and biological matrices on the developement of a multiple reaction monitoring based top-down reversed-phase liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method for analysis of cancer-related intact proteins was evaluated. Seven growth factors (5.5-26.5kDa; isoelectric points: 4.6-9.9) were analyzed on a wide-pore C4 column. The optimized method was performed at 30°C, using a 0.2mL/min flow rate, a 10 %B/min gradient slope, and 0.05% v/v difluoroacetic acid as a mobile phase modifier. The increase of mass spectrometry sensitivity due to the difluoroacetic acid (estimated limits of detection in biological matrices 1-500ng/mL) significantly varied for proteins with lower and higher charge state distributions. Matrix effects, as well as the specificity of the method were assessed for variable biological samples and pretreatment methods. This work demonstrates method development to improve the ability to target intact proteins directly by more affordable triple quadrupole mass spectrometry instrumentation, which could be beneficial in many application fields.

Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass Using Vortex-Based Devices for Cavitation: Influence on Biomethane Potential

Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is an abundant renewable resource that can be used to produce fuels and chemicals. Valorization of LCB is, however, a challenge due to its recalcitrant nature posed by the strongly interlinked cellulose–lignin–hemicellulose structures. A range of physicochemical and biological LCB pretreatment methods has been reported in the literature for enhancing its bioutilization. In this work, we used hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) based on vortex devices as a chemical-free, environmentally friendly LCB pretreatment method to enhance biomethane production. A bench scale pretreatment setup using a vortex-based cavitation device was established for the pretreatment of two common LCBs: grass silage (GS) and sugar cane bagasse (SCB). Dried and powdered feedstocks were used in all the experiments. HC was carried out by operating the cavitation device at a flow rate of ∼1.5 m3/h. The feedstocks before and after pretreatment were characterized for morphological and compositional differences using a range of analytical techniques. Liquid phase products produced upon cavitation were also analyzed using an HPLC-RI. Biomethane potential (BMP) was measured for GS and SCB with and without pretreatment, and a first order model was used to describe the kinetics. Up to 40% enhancement was observed in BMP after cavitation pretreatment using vortex-based devices. A brief discussion on preliminary cost considerations based on the experimentally observed enhancement in BMP is included. The results indicate significant promise of harnessing hydrodynamic cavitation-based pretreatment using vortex-based devices for enhancing biomethane production from LCB.

Promoting air gasification of corn straw through biological pretreatment by biogas slurry: An initiative experimental study

The development of biomass gasification is subject to low quality of gas with low heating value and high tar concentration. A new biological pretreatment method by using biogas slurry (BS) with different moisture content (40–80 wt%) and retention time (1–7 days) was advanced for promoting air gasification of corn straw (CS). The considerable NH4+-N, appropriate pH and abundant microbes in BS made it effective for CS pretreatment. The dry matter loss of pretreated CS was recorded, the properties of CS and the pretreated CS were comparatively analyzed, and also the kinetic studies. Air gasification experiments were performed in a horizontal tube furnace at 1000 °C.The delignification reaction of BS made disordered and incompact structure of CS with the improved surface area, and decreased the activation energy for chemical reaction. The higher moisture content and longer retention time contributed to the optimal gasification performance. Considering the time and energy conservation, the intermediate 60 wt% moisture content and retention time 5 days was proposed. Compared with the raw CS, the LHV (7.15 MJ/Nm3) increased 1.15 MJ/Nm3, and tar content decreased 21 wt%. This proved efficient and low cost to produce bioenergy from CS, meanwhile, reducing BS and minimizing its potential pollution.

Enhancing the utilization of oil palm fronds as livestock feed using biological pre-treatment method

Despite its advancement in industrial sectors, the economy of South East Asia is still largely dependent on its agricultural sector. The implication of the situation is the large amount of agricultural by-product produced. The agricultural by-products saw limited utilization and are usually disposed via several methods. Indeed, the limited utilization especially as animal feed is due to the presence of lignin which limits its effectiveness. Several methods have been explored to manipulate the lignin content of the by-products. The most cost-effective way of manipulating the lignin content is via biological pretreatment using white rot fungi. In this experiment, one of the abundant agricultural by-products in Malaysia, oil palm fronds (OPF), was used to be pretreated with fungi to enhance its nutritional value and assess its potential as animal feed. Firstly, several fungi were isolated from rotten OPF and were identified. The identified fungi are Trichoderma harzianium, Fusarium solani, Trichoderma asperellum, and Trichoderma koningiopsis. Their enzymes activity were tested and pitted against conventional biological pretreatment agent, the white rot fungi Lentinula edodes and Ganoderma lucidum. The results showed the isolated Trichoderma harzianum and Fusarium solani exhibited optimal enzyme activity profile as pretreatment agent compared to the white rot fungi in term of enhancing the utilization of the agricultural by-product as livestock feed. Indeed, effective utilization of agricultural by-product as livestock feed will reduce the feeding cost of livestock industry as it constitute a major portion of the production cost.

Biological pretreatment of rice straw using an alkalophilic fungus MVI.2011 for enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis yield

Ethanol from agricultural residues is a sustainable energy source, but involves complex steps like pretreatment for the removal of lignin. Conventional pretreatment methods make use of costly chemicals or energy intensive machines. Alternatively, biological pretreatment methods are sustainable, energy and cost efficient, but take at least two weeks to bring about delignification. An alkalophilic dimorphic dueteromycete coded MVI.2011, has been known to synthesize large quantities of ligninases in a short span of time; ligninases being the key enzymes in the biological delignification of lignocelluloses. Therefore, in this study, the effectiveness of this fungus in the delignification of rice straw is explored, with a view to reduce the pretreatment time. Solid state cultivation of rice straw with MVI.2011 for two weeks and submerged cultivation for one week showed 54% and 74.2% improvement in percentage of saccharification after enzymatic hydrolysis. The results of fungal pretreatment in 7.5 l bioreactor are also promising and faster than existing biological methods. Percentage of saccharification can be improved further, if submerged cultivation conditions are optimized to minimize the cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic activities of the fungus. Hence pretreatment with MVI.2011 is a potential alternative to the prevailing time-consuming fungal pretreatment methods for sustainable ethanol production.