Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a nanofibrillar polymer that possesses unique characteristics such as high chemical purity, mechanical strength, flexibility, and absorbency. In addition, different bacterial strains can form nanocellulose (NC) in multiple shapes and sizes. This study describes the first report of a marine Bacillus strain that is able to synthesize NC. The strain identified as B. velezensis SMR based on 16S rDNA sequencing, produced highly structured NC, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopic Analysis (SEM). In Hestrin-Schramm (HS) medium, B. velezensis SMR produced twice the quantity of BNC in comparison to the reference strain, G. xylinus ATCC 10245. The ability of B. velezensis SMR to produce NC using different industrial waste materials as growth media was tested. Growth in Ulva seaweed extract supported a 2.5-fold increase of NC production by B. velezensis SMR and a threefold increase in nc production by G. xylinus ATCC 10245. As proof of principle for the usability of nc from B. velezensis SMR, we successfully fabricated a BNCbased polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel (BNC-PVA) system, a promising material used in different fields of application such as medicine, food, and agriculture. Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC), an extracellular produced structure, is considered a highly desirable biomaterial due to its superior qualities in comparison to other cellulose-containing structures. Compared to plant cellulose, nanofibril network of biocellulose possesses high water retaining capacity, degree of polymerization, chemical purity, high crystallinity, in vivo biocompatibility to be used as a scaffold in tissue engineering, and excellent mechanical properties 1,2. BNC production has been reported in both Gram-negative bacteria such as G. xylinus, Agrobacterium, Achromobacter, Aerobacter, Azotobacter, Pseudomonas, and Rhizobium, and Gram-positive bacteria such as Sarcina 3. Among the different BNC-producing bacteria, G. xylinus is the most commonly studied species 4. Synthesis of BNC is a complex process involving polymerization of glucose monomers and secretion of the complex cellulose structures to the external environment to create a three-dimensional microfibril and nanofibril network. During the fermentation process, bacteria either move freely in the media or attach to cellulose fibers, producing a highly swollen gel structure 5. Purification of NC from the culture medium involves the removal of bacterial cells and collection of the cellulose matrix from the cultural medium. This is a crucial step to ensure the quality of BNC and can be performed either by repeated washing using a hot sodium hydroxide solution, followed by water until reaching a neutral pH or by other methods, such as gamma radiation 6. While BNC-production by several bacterial species have been reported, it has never been shown that members of the genus Bacillus were able to produce NC. B. velezensis is a Gram-positive bacterium that has been extensively studied for its ability to induce plant growth-...