Screening of Microbial Isolates from Petroleum Effluent Polluted Site and Optimization of Culture Conditions for Cellulase Production

Microbial cellulases have shown potential application in various industries including: paper and pulp industry, textile, laundry, biofuel production among others. Cellulase is predominantly identified among saprophytic wood decaying Basidiomycetes sp where they participate in a cascade of processes leading to wood decay. Out of the eight strains of white rot fungi isolated from the polluted site, strains of Pleurotus sp identified using cultural methods plausibly plausible showed best potentials upon screening with standard chromogene of p-nitropheny- α-D-glucopyranoside for the production of cellulose; Cultural production parameters optimized to show best suited for the enzyme production from the white rot fungi include: Incubation days, carbon sources, nitrogen and physiological pH. Lignocellulosic sugar rice bran gave highest catabolite induction of cellulase in the fermentation media with peak activity of 105 μmol/min, and ammonium sulphates (NH4)2SO4) as nitrogen source (109.53 μmol/min). Physiological pH of 7.0 was optimal for cellulose production while incubation day7.0 was found most suitable for the extracellular cellulose production. Petroleum effluent polluted soil has potentials for heterotrophic activity for isolates of Basidomycetes and these isolates have also shown much activity for cellulase production.