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ABSTRACT
This project is aimed at the production of cellulase enzyme using thermophilic bacteria. The objectivesinclude isolation and identification of thermophilic bacteria from soil leachate gotten from dump site; screening of identified bacteria for cellulase producing capacity, and determination of the effect of pH, fermentation concentration and viable cell count on cellulase production and determination of suitable substrates for cellulase production using agrowastes like corncob, banana, orange and pineapple peels. The bacterial isolates were characterized and identified using morphological and biochemical methods and sugar fermentation test. The enzyme assay was carried out by CMCase method and the production was analysed individually by Miller’s modified method of Dinitro salicylic acid (DNS). Out of all the four used substrates, corncob gave the higher production of the cellulase enzyme productivity that is 0.298 g/l after 8 days of incubation. Also, the pH of the isolates was measured and corncob gave the highest pH at 7.55±0.07, while orange gave the lowest pH at 5.10±0.14 at day 2. Corncob also gave the highest cell count at 1.120±0.000cfu/ml at day 8, while orange, pineapple and banana have the lowest cell count at 0.003cfu/ml at day 0. In conclusion, the selected bacterial strains had the ability to degrade the agricultural wastes, and of all-bacteria strains isolated Escherichia coli was the more efficient for the degradation of agricultural wastes and production of cellulase and is hereby encouraged to be used in cellulase production.
