Use of sugarcane bagasse pith as solid substrate for P-chrysosporium growth

Phanerochaete chrysosporium strain H-298 grown on sugarcane bagasse pith, a lignocellulosic residue, is proposed as a bioremediation agent for aromatic contaminated soils. To investigate the use of pith for the development of a fungal inoculum, the effect of culture conditions on fungus survival and microbial respiration under solid fermentation were studied. Microbial respiration, estimated from the CO2 evolution rates, was maintained relatively high at low aeration conditions. High respiration occurred in cultures with 2,2-dimethylsuccinate added and without buffers, but not in those with acetate, succinate and phosphate buffers. It was observed that the culture was autobuffered at pH 45, due to acetic acid release, and that moisture content increased from 60 to 70 %; these conditions were appropriate for fungal cultivation. CO2 evolution rates and fluorescence analysis showed that fungal survival was maintained through 18 d.