Biobleaching of mechanical paper pulp using Streptomyces rutgersensis UTMC 2445 isolated from a lignocellulose-rich soil.

Abstract

The utilization of micro-organisms in pulp and paper industries has proved biobleaching technology as an environmentally friendly alternative to the conventional approach. In this paper, the effect of actinobacterial fermentation broth on pulp biobleaching has been investigated. Actinobacterial colonies were isolated from lignocellulose-rich soil samples and screened for xylanase production and bleaching activity. The most efficient isolate in bleaching activity showed 100% similarity to Streptomyces rutgersensis. Pulp treatment with 5-day fermentation broth of this strain showed up to 7% increase in brightness (30°C for 6h, pH (5-7)) compared to untreated (control) pulp. Also, after 60min biotreatment, significant reduction (12·5%) in consumption of bleaching chemicals was achieved to obtain final brightness of 55%. Actinobacterial fermentation broth can be considered as a rich source of effective biobleaching agents which may be considered as environmental friendly and cost-effective technique in comparison with traditional method. Our findings showed ability of S. rutgersensis UTMC 2445 in bleaching chemomechanical paper pulp. Also, two strains of Saccharothrix, a rare actinobacterium, with biobleaching activity were introduced. In the proposed method, there is no need to use purified enzymes, and biobleaching process can be done using the fermentation broth.