Microbial lignocellulose degradation in the environment
Lead Research Organisation:
University of East Anglia
Department Name: Biological Sciences
Abstract
Almost 20% of the total mass of the Earth comprises lignocellulosic biomass also known as dry plant
matter, a mixture of organic molecules, containing mostly lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. However,
lignin is an extremely resistant polymer to degradation due to its complex structure and strong chemical
bonds and makes the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass difficult. Microbial lignin breakdown through
enzymes such as peroxidases or laccases creates a great potential of utilizing this abundant biomass for
sourcing sugar for generation of useful biochemicals and biofuels. However, most work has been carried
out on the role of fungi in lignin degradation with little work on their bacterial counterparts.
The central aim of this PhD project is to study and compare the activity of microbial lignin degradation in
a variety of environments (including permafrost and forest soils, coastal and estuarine sediment),
combining methods such as nucleic acid stable isotope probing (DNA/RNA-SIP) and next generation
sequencing (meta-omics and bioinformatics) to link microbial physiology to ecosystem functioning. This
will be supported by the use and investigation of pure cultures and enzyme assays. In particular, we want
to determine the key microorganisms responsible in the various environments and their pathways for
lignin degradation.
matter, a mixture of organic molecules, containing mostly lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. However,
lignin is an extremely resistant polymer to degradation due to its complex structure and strong chemical
bonds and makes the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass difficult. Microbial lignin breakdown through
enzymes such as peroxidases or laccases creates a great potential of utilizing this abundant biomass for
sourcing sugar for generation of useful biochemicals and biofuels. However, most work has been carried
out on the role of fungi in lignin degradation with little work on their bacterial counterparts.
The central aim of this PhD project is to study and compare the activity of microbial lignin degradation in
a variety of environments (including permafrost and forest soils, coastal and estuarine sediment),
combining methods such as nucleic acid stable isotope probing (DNA/RNA-SIP) and next generation
sequencing (meta-omics and bioinformatics) to link microbial physiology to ecosystem functioning. This
will be supported by the use and investigation of pure cultures and enzyme assays. In particular, we want
to determine the key microorganisms responsible in the various environments and their pathways for
lignin degradation.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Bruce Steel (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE/R00742X/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2022 | |||
| 1941770 | Studentship | NE/R00742X/1 | 01/10/2017 | 31/12/2021 | Bruce Steel |
| Description | The project is still active and running, but so far lignin-degrading bacteria were isolated from various environmental sources. These isolates underwent phylogenetic characterization and ligninolytic enzyme activity analysis, revealing varying utilization of peroxidase and laccase enzymes by different isolates. Furthermore, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of extracted lignin oxidation products (LOPs) from bacterial isolate cultures showed considerable variation compared to control cultures, suggesting specific and diverse bacterial lignin breakdown. |
| Exploitation Route | Potentially improved lignin degradation pathways for industrial processes. |
| Sectors | Environment,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| Description | Oral Presentation at the Lyell Centre research seminar (14/02/2018, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Oral Presentation on "Microbial lignin degradation in the environment" at the Lyell Centre research seminar (14/02/2018, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK). Started further collaborations with colleagues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Oral presentation at Cambridge-EnvEast Doctoral Alliance (CEEDA) Symposium 2020 (03/06/2020, Virtual Symposium) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Oral presentation at Cambridge-EnvEast Doctoral Alliance (CEEDA) Symposium 2020 (03/06/2020, Virtual Symposium) on "Microbial Lignin Degradation in the Environment", attended by over 50 cohort PhD students and supervisors. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://padlet.com/sophiejanebuckingham/ncpvwvkro3q2wmq5 |
| Description | Poster presentation at Cambridge-EnvEast Doctoral Alliance (CEEDA) Symposium 2019 (02-04/04/2019, Cambridge, UK) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation at Cambridge-EnvEast Doctoral Alliance (CEEDA) Symposium 2019 (02-04/04/2019, Cambridge, UK). Title of poster: "Microbial lignin degradation in the environment". Sparked discussions with fellow PhD students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Public engagement at Edinburgh Science Festival at Heriot-Watt University (14/04/2018) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Around 5000 visitors of all ages attended the open day science event at Heriot-Watt University (HWU) (held at Oriam Sportscentre) to showcase research done at HWU, which sparked lots of interest and discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |