Development of Newspaper as a Resource of Bioenergy Through the Successive Saccharification with Aspergillus Niger Cellulase

Dhlamini, B. R. & Van Wyk, J. P. H.^*

Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, South Africa

Dr. Van Wyk, J. P. H., Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, South Africa.

Keywords: Waste Cellulose; Newspaper; Saccharifcation; Aspergillus Niger Cellulase; Glucose

Abstract

Used newspaper is one of the major components of solid waste of which millions of tons are produced annually by the global population. Landfilling, besides incineration and recycling, is the most popular process of managing this waste material also described as organic waste. Cellulose, a glucose biopolymer and structural component of newspaper could act as a renewable feedstock for the production of bioproducts if degraded into glucose a fermentable sugar. Cellulase a multicomponent hydrolytic enzyme system from Aspergillus niger has been used to bioconvert the cellulose component of newspaper into glucose. The saccharification of newspaper by A. niger cellulase has been performed during the successive treatment of newspaper with fresh cellulose during ten consecutive incubation periods of 2h each. The amount of sugar released from newspaper during each incubation period has been determined and various sugar releasing patterns at the different incubation temperatures constructed. The total amount of sugar released during the different incubation periods were determined and the percentage saccharification of newspaper at each incubation temperature were determined as, 50% at 40ºC, 64% at 50ºC, 59% at 60ºC and 42% at 70ºC.

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