LIGNOCELLULOSE WASTE VALORIZATION BY AN ENZYMATIC COCKTAIL OF P. ERYNGII AND P. PULMONARIUS

The present study aimed to characterize Pleurotus eryngii and P. pulmonarius ligninolytic enzymes and to determine their potential for polymer degradation in common agroforestry residues. The peak of laccase activity (36052.33 U L-1) was observed after P. pulmonarius cultivation on oak sawdust. The maximal Mn-dependent peroxidase activity was reached by P. eryngii (2511.36 U L-1), while the highest level of versatile peroxidase activity was noted in P. pulmonarius (3053.03 U L-1), after fermentation of corn stalks. The highest level of lignin loss (46.28%) was achieved after cultivation of P. pulmonarius on corn stalks, but the most selective degradation of lignocellulose polymers was observed after P. eryngii cultivation on wheat straw. The obtained results lead to the conclusion that the studied P. eryngii and P. pulmonarius strains are good producers of ligninolytic enzymes and effective and selective depolymerizers of agroforestry residues, and therefore their use would be beneficial in numerous environmentally friendly technologies.