M.S. Graduate: Nandini Singh
Advisor: Jiwei Zhang, Ph.D.
Abstract: Plant biomass, such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, are being explored as renewable carbon feedstock that could replace a significant amount of petroleum-derived chemicals and other products. Lignin, a component of wood, is the second most abundant natural organic polymer after cellulose. It provides strength and rigidity to plants and is highly recalcitrant to degradation due to its complex, three-dimensional structure. The valorization of lignin is essential for viable and sustainable use of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. In order to achieve this, microbial degradation is extensively researched since microorganisms have evolved different enzymatic and non-enzymatic strategies to utilize biomass (Janusz et al., 2017). In boreal forest ecosystems, brown rot fungi are dominant players for decomposing and recycling carbon sources sequestered in tree biomass, however, the carbohydrate-selective nutritional mode of these fungi does not allow them to consume all the forms of carbon in wood, creating a recalcitrant carbon pool in the forest ecosystem. In this research, we investigated up to 200 functional microbes, including fungi and bacteria, involved in the breakdown of lignin components in this
distinctive brown rot niche. Preliminary screening of the microbes was performed using indicator dyes, and eight fungi and fourteen bacteria were selected to be identified and characterized. The microbes were further evaluated for their ability to degrade and
metabolize lignin and aromatic lignin monomers. Understanding the interactive characteristics is essential for industrial lignin conversion or bioremediation of related recalcitrant aromatic hydrocarbons.
Masters Defense Seminar will be held Tuesday, August 19th, 2022 - join to watch via Zoom