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Identification of a cellulolytic active fungal strain, isolated from a cigarette waste microenvironment, showing preference for growth on cellulose acetate
Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2020
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| _version_ | 1867613985110491136 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Enslin, Nicholas George |
| author2 | Loedolff, Bianke |
| author_browse | Enslin, Nicholas George Loedolff, Bianke |
| author_facet | Loedolff, Bianke Enslin, Nicholas George |
| author_sort | Enslin, Nicholas George |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/109263 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:50.018Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/109263 Identification of a cellulolytic active fungal strain, isolated from a cigarette waste microenvironment, showing preference for growth on cellulose acetate Enslin, Nicholas George Loedolff, Bianke Peters, Shaun W. Kossmann, Jens Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Genetics. Institute for Plant Biotechnology. Cigarette filters -- Pollution Greenhouse gases Filters and filtration -- Environmental aspects Cellulose acetate Enzymes -- Analysis Greenhouse effect, Atmospheric UCTD Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Globally, environmental pollution such as greenhouse gases and microplastics are ubiquitous throughout nature. Long-term negative environmental effects and bioaccumulation of anthropogenic compounds within the food-chain is widely reported. Cigarette filters are the single most littered item with over 4 trillion smoked cigarette filters entering the environment every year. Studies estimate that over 66 % of smokers incorrectly dispose of their cigarette filters culminating to a total annual of 750 million kg of pollution. The fate of an incorrectly discarded cigarette filter causes damage in two major manners. Firstly, a smoked cigarette filter acts as vector for a myriad of toxic compounds and heavy metals. Secondly, cigarette filters are made of 15 000 or more cellulose acetate fibers linked together by glycerol triacetate. Throughout the degradation process, these toxic compounds and microscopic cellulose acetate fibers leach into the environment. Cigarette filters mostly enter the environment through sewerage and drain water systems that enter into the ocean. Consequently, chemically derived cellulose has been reported covering over 2 billion km2 of the ocean seabed contributing to the microplastic deep sea sink and marine microplastic epidemic. Research on cigarette filter degradation indicates that after five years, depending on the environment, the total mass loss can range between 50 – 80 %. Estimates suggest that a cigarette filter can remain within the environment for up to ten years. The continual deposition of cigarette filters within the environment highlights the necessity for recycling solutions and effective waste management of cigarette filters. A cigarette bin could serve as a genetically resourceful environment, where the microbial community partake in a synergistic process for the degradation of cigarette filters. This study centers around a cigarette bin that was theorized to be inhabited by micro-organisms capable of efficiently degrading cigarette filters. The bacterial community within the cigarette bin was previously investigated using 16S small subunit rRNA metagenomic sequencing, as well s a metagenomic library. The aim of this project was to investigate the cigarette bin for cultivatable fungal isolates and select an isolate for in vitro enzyme analysis using para-nitrophenyl-linked substrates that mirrors the catabolic pathway of cellulose acetate. Four fungal isolates were cultivated from the cigarette bin and designated I1, I2, I3, and I4. Phylogenetic inference for the four isolates identified as Mucor circinelloides f. circinelloides (I1, I2, and I3) and Fusarium proliferatum (I4). The four isolates were screened via multiple functional plate-based screening recipes for the selection of a candidate isolate for in vitro enzyme analysis. The candidate isolate selected was Fusarium proliferatum due to the successful screening and observed genetic adaptability towards carboxymethyl cellulose. The in vitro enzyme analysis of Fusarium proliferatum indicated a β-glucosidase activity of 115.7 nkat/mg of protein towards 4–nitrophenyl–β–D–glucopyranoside and acetyl esterase activity of 157.9 nkat/mg of protein towards 4–nitrophenyl acetate. These preliminary results infer the potential applications of Fusarium proliferatum for the remediation of cigarette filter pollution. Valorization of cigarette filters within a fungal-based biorefinery using Fusarium proliferatum could generate bioethanol and other high-value products. Masters 2020-11-30T06:23:01Z 2021-01-31T19:41:47Z 2020-11-30T06:23:01Z 2021-01-31T19:41:47Z 2020-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/109263 en_ZA Stellenbosch University xii, 115 pages : illustrations (some color) application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Cigarette filters -- Pollution Greenhouse gases Filters and filtration -- Environmental aspects Cellulose acetate Enzymes -- Analysis Greenhouse effect, Atmospheric UCTD Enslin, Nicholas George Identification of a cellulolytic active fungal strain, isolated from a cigarette waste microenvironment, showing preference for growth on cellulose acetate |
| title | Identification of a cellulolytic active fungal strain, isolated from a cigarette waste microenvironment, showing preference for growth on cellulose acetate |
| title_full | Identification of a cellulolytic active fungal strain, isolated from a cigarette waste microenvironment, showing preference for growth on cellulose acetate |
| title_fullStr | Identification of a cellulolytic active fungal strain, isolated from a cigarette waste microenvironment, showing preference for growth on cellulose acetate |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identification of a cellulolytic active fungal strain, isolated from a cigarette waste microenvironment, showing preference for growth on cellulose acetate |
| title_short | Identification of a cellulolytic active fungal strain, isolated from a cigarette waste microenvironment, showing preference for growth on cellulose acetate |
| title_sort | identification of a cellulolytic active fungal strain isolated from a cigarette waste microenvironment showing preference for growth on cellulose acetate |
| topic | Cigarette filters -- Pollution Greenhouse gases Filters and filtration -- Environmental aspects Cellulose acetate Enzymes -- Analysis Greenhouse effect, Atmospheric UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/109263 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT enslinnicholasgeorge identificationofacellulolyticactivefungalstrainisolatedfromacigarettewastemicroenvironmentshowingpreferenceforgrowthoncelluloseacetate |