: Lignocellulosic biomass, one of the most valuable natural resources, is abundantly present on earth. Being a renewable feedstock, it harbors a great potential to be exploited as a raw material, to produce various value-added products. Lignocellulolytic microorganisms hold a unique position regarding the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass as they contain efficient enzyme systems capable of degrading this biomass. The ubiquitous nature of these microorganisms and their survival under extreme conditions have enabled their use as an effective producer of lignocellulolytic enzymes with improved biochemical features crucial to industrial bioconversion processes. These enzymes can prove to be an exquisite tool when it comes to the eco-friendly manufacturing of value-added products using waste material. This review focuses on highlighting the significance of lignocellulosic biomass, microbial sources of lignocellulolytic enzymes and their use in the formation of useful products.

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With the progress of industries, environmental pollution with toxic heavy metals is spreading throughout the world. Technologies related to microbes may provide an alternative or addition to predictable method for the removal of these heavy metals. The present investigation deals with isolation anddescription of chromium resistant bacteria from tannery wastewater taken from industrial area of Lahore, Pakistan. Firstly the leather industry effluent was examined for the total bacterial count and the presence of lactose fermenter and non lactose fermenter species on nutrient agar and MacConkey agar. Nutrient agar showed different colonies which were than identified by gram staining and colonies on MacConkey agar were identified by their colors as pink colonies show lactose fermenting species and off white or transparent colonies show presence of non lactose fermenting species. Potential heavy metal tolerant Escherichia coli was isolated by using Eosin methylene blue (EMB) agar medium supplemented with salts of chromium. The examination of morphological features of the obtained colonies authentically identified the isolate as Escherichia coli. The identified isolate was then exposed to different concentrations of chromium chloride to conclude the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) which was found out to be 160mg/mL.

Respiratory tract infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality accounting for millions of deaths worldwide. Treatment of these infections is usually based upon symptomatic relief through antibiotics. This study was designed to investigate bacterial RTI and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern determined by Kirby Bauer’s disc diffusion method. Sputum samples (n=48) were analyzed to determine the bacterial infections and relationship with age, gender and social status of patients was determined. Results of the study revealed that higher number of samples (61%) were positive for Pseudomonas spp.14 (29.16%). Other contributing bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (12.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (16.7%), Streptococcus spp. (12.5%), Acinetobacter spp. (14.58%), E. coli (6.25%) and some other coliforms (8.33%). Number of cases was more in adult males than females and the incidence was gradually increasing with age due to consistent habit of smoking. Socioeconomic analysis of data revealed that maximum number of patients visiting hospital for UTI belongs to rural areas followed by small cities and developed cities. It is concluded that adult males having low socioeconomic status with habit of smoking or tobacco consumption are at greater risk of UTI.