Lignin-consuming Microbe Unlocks Promise for Biofuels

The extraction of cellulose sugars for the production of biofuels has always been a difficult task, due to the presence of lignin in the cell walls of plants. Lignin which is considered as being a strong, woody polymer, binds and protects the cellulose sugars which plants use for energy. However, in an effort to overcome such lignin challenge, researchers have characterized a  rainforest microbe that is able to break down such complex polymer by simply breathing it. The microbe which has been identified as E. lignolyticus SCF1 is an anaerobic bacteria which was isolated from tropical forest soils. The unique enzymatic activity of such microbe makes its capable of degrading up to 56 percent of lignin within a period of 48 hours under anaerobic conditions. The results from this study suggest that the enzymes found in E. lignolyticus SCF1 could be used to deconstruct lignin, and in exchange improve the production of advanced biofuels.

Figure from DeAngelis et al. (2013). Graph showing the degradation percentages of lignin by the bacteria E. lignolyticus SCF1. Also the SCF1 growth curves are shown in the additional graph provided.

Original Article: DeAngelis KM, Sharma D, Varney R, Simmons B, Isern NG, Markillie LM, Nicora C, Norbeck AD, Taylor RC, Aldrich JT and Robinson EW (2013) Evidence supporting dissimilatory and assimilatory lignin degrdation of Enterobacter lignolyticus SCF1. Front. Microbiol. 4:280. doi: 10.3389/fmicb. 2013.00280