Recent Advancements in Fungal Biotechnology Volume 1: Applications in Energy and Materials

This volume is a part of the Fungal Biology book series. It focuses on using fungal biotechnology to produce eco-friendly energy and materials as alternatives to fossil fuels. The book explains how fungi, which can be unicellular or multicellular, play important roles in creating sustainable solutions for the world’s growing energy needs.

The chapters cover a range of topics, starting with recent developments in using fungi for bioenergy, including bioethanol, biodiesel, biogas, biohydrogen, and bioelectricity. Other chapters explore producing biomaterials like biopolymers and pigments from fungi, as well as modern approaches like meta-omics, CRISPR-Cas9, and artificial intelligence applications in fungal systems. The book also discusses converting waste biomass into valuable products and the use of nanotechnology in fungal biotechnology.

This book is a useful resource for scientists, researchers, engineers, and students interested in bioenergy and biomaterials. It also benefits professionals working in environmental science, biotechnology, and sustainable industry, who want to learn about recent advancements and future possibilities in fungal biotechnology.

Dr. Manikant Tripathi is currently a faculty member in the biotechnology program at Dr. Rammanohar Lohia Avadh University, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India. He has over ten years of teaching and research experience in microbial biotechnology. He earned his Ph.D. with a research fellowship from the University Grants Commission, India. His research interests include bioremediation of environmental pollutants, microbial applications for value-added products, waste management, biomass valorization, and green synthesis of nanoparticles. He has received awards from scientific societies at international and national conferences. He has published numerous research and review articles, edited books, and reviewed papers for respected journals. He is an active member of several scientific societies.

Dr. Neha Srivastava is currently a Research Scientist in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology at the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. She completed her Ph.D. in Biotechnology at SHIATS, Uttar Pradesh, India, specializing in bioenergy. Her areas of interest include bioprocess technology, biofuels production from waste, and nanocatalyst development. She has published extensively, filed patents, achieved technology transfer, and contributed to many books.

Prof. Rongrong Xie graduated from the College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University in December 2009, obtaining a Ph.D. in Biology. In January 2010, she joined the Institute of Biofuels at Jiangsu University as an assistant professor and Master's student advisor. Her research interests focus on revealing and mimicking highly efficient natural lignocellulolytic conversion systems (e.g. wood-feeding termites or other cellulose-feeding animals) to advance current bioreactors for biofuels and bioproduct and develop advanced technologies for biomass conversion and utilization. She works as the leading PI or PI of several grants, such as the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu province. She has published more than 70 academic papers and participated in the compilation of one textbook. She is an expert in insect symbionts, molecular biology, and molecular ecology research.