Production of microbial biomass on the products of mild acid hydrolysis of piggery slurry

The effect of mild sulfuric acid (H(2)SO(4)) hydrolysis on the cellulosic components of piggery slurry was investigated. Combinations of acid concentrations between 1 and 10% (w/v) and temperatures of 89, 90, and 100 degrees C were studied with the aim of maximizing the release of soluble carbohydrates from the cellulosic constituents of piggery slurry. The highest yield of soluble monosaccharides was obtained by hydrolysis with 5% sulfuric acid at 90 degrees C for 3 h, which produced 0.53 g of monosaccharide for every gram of cellulosic material available in raw piggery slurry. When the fungus Sporotrichum pulverulentum was cultivated on a medium prepared from this hydrolysate, a yield of 19.8 g of microbial biomass was obtained for each liter of piggery slurry hydrolyzed.