Biodegradation of exploded cotton stalk byBacillussp.

  • Zheng, Lianshuang
  • Han, Xiaofang
  • Du, Yumin

  • 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, P.R. China.

    2College of Chemical and Environment Engineering, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, P.R. China.

e-mail: [email protected]

Biotechnology Letters 25(20):p 1747-1750, October 2003. | DOI: 10.1023/A:1026083827968

Abstract

The exploded bast, branch and stem of cotton stalk were degraded by alkalophilic Bacillus NT-19, with weight losses of 24%, 20% and 14%, respectively, after 14 d. Compared with a white-rot fungus (Phanerochaete chrysosporium), Bacillus NT-19 preferentially degraded the non-cellulose components of cotton stem. The relative degree of crystallinity of bast fibers decreased by 8% and the middle lamella was partially removed from the fiber bundle by the Bacillus.

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