Purification and Characterization of Thermostable Alkaline Cellulase from Marine Bacterium Bacillus licheniformis AU01 by Utilizing Cellulosic Wastes

The present study was aimed to produce cellulase from Bacillus licheniformis AU01 by utilizing major cellulosic wastes. Among the cellulosic wastes tested, rice bran and peptone were found to be the best carbon and nitrogen source for production of cellulase (188 U ml(-1)). Through multi step purification an 8.66 fold purified protein with a specific activity of 620.8 U mg(-1) was achieved with the molecular weight of 37 kDa. The optimum temperature and pH for CMCase activity was determined as 50 degrees C and 9 respectively and more than 80 % activity retained at temperature 80 degrees C and pH 12.0. The cellulase purified from present study was stable even in the presence of various cationic, anionic and commercial detergents. These remarkable qualities such as thermostability, pH stability and compatibility with detergents will make this cellulase as a potential candidate for industrial applications.