Hydrolysis of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) by Bacillus isolated from compost

The ability of Bacillus sp. to produce cellulase was studied by isolating the bacteria from the oil palm empty fruit bunch compost. Eight isolates were identified as genus Bacillus after amplification on universal 16S rRNA primer: Com1 and Com2. Screening of C1, C3, C4, C8, C9, C10, C12 and EB6 on the carboxylmethyl cellulose (CMC) plate resulted in clear zone or halos after staining with Congo red. The biggest clear zone was produced by C4, C12 and EB6 with diameter size of 2.4 cm, 2.6 cm and 3.4 cm respectively. The most suitable pH for the cellulase-producing bacteria growth was in neutral condition with pH between 7 and 8. Later, the above three isolates were analysed for the CMC assay to measure the cellulase activity based on the reduction of glucose released by these isolates. C12 and EB6 showed a higher rate of glucose reduction with 1.29 mg/ml and 1.64 mg/ml respectively after incubation for 24 hat 37 °C as compared to C4 with only 0.503 mg/ml.