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Plastic waste, a persistent and escalating issue, and the high costs of installing electric power, particularly in remote areas, have become pressing concerns for governments. This research proposes a novel method for generating electric power from sugarcane bagasse waste and reducing plastic waste. The key to this method is the use of the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus in microbial fuel cells. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) demonstrated their effectiveness by generating peaks of electric current (4.325 ± 0.261 mA) and voltage (0.427 ± 0.031 V) on day twenty-six, with a pH of 5.539 ± 0.278. The peak electrical conductivity of the substrate was 130.574 ± 4.981 mS/cm. The MFCs were able to reduce the chemical oxygen demand by 83%, showing a maximum power density of 86.316 ± 4.724 mW/cm2 and an internal resistance of 37.384 ± 62.522 Ω. The infrared spectra of the plastic samples showed a decrease in the peaks 2850–2920, 1470, and 720 cm−1, which are more characteristic of plastic, demonstrating the action of the Pleurotus ostreatus fungus on the plastic samples. Also, the micrographs taken by SEM showed the reduction in the thickness of the plastic film by 54.06 µm and the formation of microstructures on the surface, such as pores and raised layers of the sample used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolic compounds have gained international interest due to their carcinogenic, toxic, and bioaccumulative properties, causing adverse effects in both animals and humans. As a result, there is a growing interest in finding alternative and eco-friendly treatment routes for phenol by exploring new microbial cultures with potential adaptation and biodegradation capabilities. In this study, the phenol removal efficiency of Yarrowia lipolytica YQ22 under laboratory conditions was determined. The YQ22 strain was obtained from diesel samples from a fuel station in Trujillo, Peru, isolated through serial dilutions on Sabouraud agar, and identified through its morphological characteristics using microscopy and molecular analysis by polymerase chain reaction of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 5.8S regions. In the treatment, the effect of pH (5, 6 and 7) and temperature (25°C, 30°C and 35°C) on phenol removal with 2% (v/v) inoculum of Yarrowia lipolytica from 48-hour growth was evaluated. Phenol concentration was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. A maximum phenol removal percentage of 61.18 was obtained for YQ22 at 30°C, pH 5 and 120 rpm during 48 hours. These findings demonstrate the ability of Yarrowia lipolytica to remove phenol and suggest its potential use in the field of bioremediation of phenolic compounds and their derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]