Biodegradation of oil palm empty fruit bunch during cultivation of Volvariella volvacea

Biodegradation of cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose from oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) by straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) was investigated. The present research mainly focused on the effects of effective microorganism (EM) treatment (M) and composting duration of OPEFB (C) on straw mushroom production. Two main stages were involved in this research. The first stage was emphasized on the V. volvacea culture process while the second stage was to evaluate the chemical properties of the OPEFB. Zero percent EM solution increased the OPEFB decomposition rate significantly for cellulose and slightly for hemicellulose. The EM solution of 20% increased the OPEFB decomposition rate significantly for hemicellulose after 5 days of composting. In contrast, 10% EM solution increased the OPEFB decomposition rate significantly for cellulose and lignin that were composted for 5 days and for hemicellulose that were composted for 10 and 15 days. The introduction of different EM solutions and varied composting days significantly affected the final compositions of the lignocellulose degraded by the V. volvacea. Most of the lignocellulose composition had positive correlation which depend on the nature of lignocellulose substrates. The final composition of cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose in the spent OPEFB on average were 44.17 +/- 0.04%, 22.66 +/- 0.03%, and 11.39 +/- 0.04%. Conversely, the raw OPEFB composition were 53.62% + 0.06%, 32.68% + 0.03%, and 15.23% + 0.19%. Based on the reduced percentage of the lignocelluloses, V. volvacea cultivation on OPEFB proved to be a good alternative in degrading biowastes.