Characterization of microorganisms associated with the degradation of sawdust and woodchips

Abstract

Microorganisms play a vital role in the degradation of organic matters such as Sawdust and woodchips. In this study, the Serial dilution method and pour plate techniques were used according to microbiological standards. The media used were nutrient agar, sabouraud dextrose agar, and cellulolytic medium to identify microorganisms and inoculated them into the Sawdust and woodchips and kept for 30 days at 37^oC and 25^oC. The total viable bacterial count for Sawdust and woodchips ranged between 9.0×103 - 6.0×103and 1.96×103 - 1.48×103, respectively. A total of 12 organisms were identified according to the biochemical reactions, six bacteria, and six fungi. Bergy’s manual of determinative bacteriology confirmed the organism as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella sp, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Cellulomona sp. The fungal species identified include Rhizopus sp, Mucor sp, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida sp, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus. The bacteria with the highest potential to degrade Sawdust and Woodchips are Cellulomonas sp. (20.9%), Klebsiella sp (17.8%), Escherichia coli (8.3%), Bacillus cereus (7.15%), and Staphylococcus sp (6.2%). Furthermore, the fungi capable of degrading the Sawdust and woodchips are Mucor sp (19.90%), Aspergillus flavus (17.8%), Aspergillus niger (17.3%), Rhizopus (16.9%), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (15.55%). From these results, it can be concluded that some microorganisms could be used for the biodegradation of lignocellulose materials.