ABSTRACT
Lignite is basically a waste coal that could, in fact, be a major energy source and chemical feedstock. In its raw form, lignite is difficult and costly to process into a usable and efficient source of energy. Some microbes, including fungi, bacteria, and protozoa, have been found to degrade lignin, the lignite precursor, to smaller polymeric and monomeric units. Media low in nitrogen and/or carbon sources can be used to culture Phanerochaete, but this results in limited biomass and low enzyme yields. Like the enzymatic degradation of cellulose, the enzymatic degradation of the more recalcitrant lignin should require the use of large quantities of lignase-type enzymes to actuate the degradation. Phanerochaete chrysosporium is a white-rot fungus that is naturally found in forests and has the ability to degrade lignin in wood and lignocellulose pulps under certain conditions.
