Background of Study: Plant waste such as rice husk and groundnut shell are generated in large amounts, these waste presents a tremendous pollution to the environment. Worldwide, these wastes are often simply dumped into landfills and oceans or used as animal feeds. The recovery of food processing wastes as renewable energy sources represents a sustainable option for the substitution of fossil energy in order to minimize environmental damages and to meet energy demands of the growing population. Aim: To produce bioethanol from rice husk and groundnut shell using local strains of Zymomonas mobilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Place and Duration of Study: Conducted at the Microbiology Laboratory of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, Bauchi state, Nigeria, between April to June, 2021. Methods: Groundnut shell and Rice husk were collected from local milling center. The wastes were powdered, sieved and used as carbon source. Proximate composition of the subsrate was done and the total carbohydrate was determined by difference. The sum of the percentage moisture, ash, crude lipid, crude protein and crude fibre was subtracted from 100. Zymomonas mobilis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were isolated from rotten sweet oranges and locally fermented beverage (‘kunun-zaki’) respectively by growing them on Malt Yeast Peptone Glucose Agar (MYPGA) after which they were further screened for their ability to tolerate ethanol and they serve as organisms for fermentation. The enzyme α- amylase was used for hydrolysis. The fermented substrates were distilled at 78oC and the distillate was collected as bioethanol in a conical flask. UV-VIS spectrophotometer was used to determine the absorbance of each concentration (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8cm3) of reducing sugar content of the hydrolysates and the bioethanol produced by developing a standard curve at a wavelength of 491nm and 588nm respectively. The concentration of reducing sugar and bioethanol was determined using a reference line from the Standard curve. Results: Proximate analysis done shows that rice husk have 70.09% carbohydrates while groundnut shell has 65.09% carbohydrates. Groundnut shell yielded the highest reducing sugar of 5.096%. Rice husk yielded the lowest quantity of reducing sugar with a total yield of 2.962%. Maximum concentration of bioethanol of 0.971% was produced from the combination of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zymomonas mobilis from groundnut shell. The lowest concentration of 0.121% of bioethanol was produced when Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used on rice husk hydrolysates. The synergistic relationship of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zymomonas mobilis yielded the maximum bioethanol when compared with the yield obtained when the organisms were used singly. Zymomonas mobilis produced highest bioethanol content when the organisms are used single. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the potentiality of local strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zymomonas mobilis isolated from rotten sweet orange and locally fermented beverage (‘kunun-zaki’) to produce bioethanol by fermenting the rice husk and groundnut shell hydrolysates.

The research was conducted to isolate soil fungi and screen them for cellulase production using the zone of hydrolysis technique. Several fungi were isolated and characterised from soil environments of different locations using conventional microbiological methods. A total of six isolates were confirmed to be Penicillium chrysogenum, Emericella rogulosus, Aspergillus terreus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, all coded as BG1, BG2, BG3, BG4, BG5 and BG6, respectively. Fungal isolate BG5 has the highest percentage of occurrence (34.30 %), followed by SBG3 (22.86 %). The isolates were screened for cellulase production using the carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) agar plate method. All the fungal isolates demonstrated cellulase production ability, with fungal isolates BG5 (18 mm) and BG3 (15 mm) having the highest diameter of zone of cellulose hydrolysis. The research reveals the potentiality of using locally isolated soil fungi for cellulase production.

Background of Study: Rumen microorganisms are involved in the fermentation of substrates contained in the diet of the animals. Research on the isolation and identification of cellulase enzyme-producing bacteria is still widespread. Biodegradation by cellulolytic bacteria found in rumen can be used as a source of cellulolytic bacteria which will function to degrade fibrous feed material so as to increase quality of nutrition and digestibility of ingredients at a cheaper price than the use of commercial cellulase production. Aim: To isolate and characterize bacteria from animals’ rumen for their ability to hydrolyze cellulose. Place and Duration of Study: Conducted at the Microbiology Laboratory of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, Bauchi state, Nigeria, between April to July, 2021. Methods: Rumen of cows and goats was sliced and randomly swabbed with a swab stick. They were then inoculated on Nutrient and MacConkey agar media. The plates were then incubated aerobically and anaerobically for 24 hours at 37oC. The resulting colonies that developed after the incubation period was purified and maintained on agar slants for further characterization. Pure isolates were then sub-cultured on carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) plates and then incubated aerobically and anaerobically for seven days to test their ability to hydrolyze cellulose which was indicated by the appearance of clear zones around the colonies of the organisms. Secreted cellulase by the bacteria was further observed by colouring of the medium using Congo-red 0.3%. Results: A total of 95 bacterial species isolated and characterized from rumen of cow and goat to test their ability to hydrolyze cellulose out of which 52 hydrolyzed celluloses after growing them on cellulose as seen by zone of clearance around the isolates. The isolates include Bacillus subtilis (28.8%), Bacillus licheniformis (27.0%), Yersinia enterocolitica (9.6%), Micrococcus sp. (5.8%), Salmonella sp. (11.5%), Pseudomonas sp. (3.8%) and Streptococcus sp. (13.5%).  Conclusion: This study demonstrates the potentiality of local strains of bacteria isolated from ruminants to hydrolyze cellulose. Proofs based on zone of clearance in cellulose led to the conclusion that the rumen of ruminants contains various microorganisms that can breakdown cellulose.