Characterization and Evaluation of Phenol Degrading Bacillus Spp. for Enhancing the Softness of Coir Fiber

ABSTRACT

Coir is a unique versatile and most resistant fiber among all commercially available natural fibers. The rigidity and toughness of the coir fiber due to its high phenylpropanoid content makes its usage limited for tough textured products. In this study, an eco-friendly microbial formulation was developed using phenol degrading strains to improve the quality of the coir fiber. The coir fiber treated with these bacterial strains showed enhanced brightness, reduced flexural rigidity, and increase in softness. Scanning electron micrograph analysis confirmed the improved surface texture of the treated fiber. The application of phenol degrading Bacillus spp. promises to be an effective eco-friendly strategy for the quality improvement of coir fiber.

为提高椰壳纤维的柔软性用芽孢杆菌降解其苯酚的表征及评估

在市售所有天然纤维中，椰壳纤维是一种具有独特通用和耐久性的纤维。刚度，由于其高苯丙氨酸含量达到10，椰壳纤维韧性强硬质感使其使用产品有限。在这项研究中， 一种环保型微生物制剂使用苯酚降解菌，提高了椰壳纤维的质量。这些细菌菌株处理后的椰壳纤维表现出增强的亮度，降低了抗弯刚度，并增加柔软度。扫描电子显微照片分析证实了处理纤维的改善的表面纹理。苯酚降解菌的应用，有望成为椰壳纤维品质改良的有效的环保战略

KEYWORDS:

• Bacillus spp
• brightness index
• coir fiber softening
• flexural rigidity
• phenol degradation
• SEM analysis

关键词:

• 芽孢杆菌; 亮度指数; 椰壳纤维软化; 抗弯刚度; 苯酚降解; SEM分析

Acknowledgment

We acknowledge Prof. M. Radhakrishna Pillai, Director of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Trivandrum, Kerala, India, for the facilities provided.

Additional information

Funding

We acknowledge the financial support provided by the Coir Board, Ministry of MSME, Govt. of India.