Browsing by Author "Dadashzadehabdol, Mina"

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant and sustainable resource to produce valuable products through biorefinery processes. However, the challenge of lignin degradation remains complex. My thesis aimed to investigate the potential of Pleurotus ostreatus, a white rot fungus, for use in biorefinery applications. This study investigated the capability of P. ostreatus to grow and consume technical lignin (organosolv) with great potential for utilization in lignocellulose biorefineries. To further enhance its bioconversion potential, the study also explored the metabolic engineering of P. ostreatus to produce protocatechuate. Additionally, the P. ostreatus PC9 monokaryon strain was found to be suitable for genetic engineering using the CRISPR Cas9 system; however, the inability to disrupt the KU80 gene may have contributed to the lower efficiency of gene targeting observed in this study. The lignin degradation potential of P. ostreatus secretomes was investigated by measuring enzyme activities and using model compounds. The use of P. ostreatus secretomes has shown potential for improving lignin degradation in co-culture with an engineered Aspergillus niger strain which accumulates the protocatechuate, and the addition of nucleophilic thiols, such as L-cysteine, showed promise in promoting lignin bioconversion.