Abstract

                                High cost of saccharifying enzymes is one of the major constraints for commercialization of bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. Production of cellulolytic enzymes using lignocellulosic biomass such as agro-residues and weeds is an economically viable option in bioenergy industry. In this study, a noxious weed, Parthenium sp. was investigated as a substrate for production of cellulolytic enzymes CMCase, FPase, ß-glucosidase and xylanase. Two isolates namely Trichoderma harzianum and T. longibrachiatum were cultivated on Parthenium sp. under submerged (1% w/v) and solid-state fermentation (20% w/v) for production of cellulolytic enzymes. Under SSF, maximum production of CMCase (63.32 IU/g), FPase (9.87 IU/g) and cellobiase (16.36 IU/g) were achieved from T. harzianum while xylanase (393.34 IU/g) was achieved from T. longibrachiatum. Structural and crystallinity changes of biomass were examined through Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction analysis (XRD), respectively. Decrease in crystallinity index (CrI) of fungal treated biomass revealed the effective degradation of cellulosic components in biomass. The results showed that the menace of Parthenium sp. in agriculture can be managed by using it as substrate for production of cellulolytic enzymes which in turn reduces the cost of bioethanol production.

Key words : Cellulolytic enzymes, Trichoderma spp., Parthenium sp., fermentation, bioethanol