Published Paper Details:

High rate of growth and easy availability of water hyacinth has made it as vibrant renewable natural carbon source for biofuel production. The present study was undertaken to screen the possibility of using water hyacinth as a substrate for bioethanol production by microbial fermentation using monocultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Fusarium oxysporum individually and co-cultures of both strains with Pichia stipitis. Water hyacinth has high content of cellulose, hemi-cellulose, lignin and starch at levels of 18.20%, 48.70%, 3.5% and 1.85% (w/w), respectively. Direct fermentation of water hyacinth was carried out in submerged state employing the pure cultures of the spore suspensions of the fungi Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Fusarium oxysporum in separate experiments. The mixed fermentation started as a single process with a pure culture of Phanerochaete chrysosporium or Fusarium oxysporum with Pichia stipitis added at different times of fermentation. Direct fermentation of water hyacinth biomass by pure cultures of P. chrysosporium and F. oxysporum produced 12.1 g L-1 and 10.95 g L-1 ethanol respectively after 60 h fermentation. Simultaneous co-culturing of both P. chrysosporium and F. oxysporum with Pichia stipitis resulted in a higher ethanol production (20.17 g L-1, 17.48 g L-1 respectively) after 60 h fermentation when compared to monoculture fermentation. Higher ethanol production was attained in the mixed culture system containing Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Pichia stipitis.