Bio conversion of Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) agro waste using cellulolytic bacteria isolated from termite

Abstract

Oil palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) fiber is a lignocellulosic waste from palm oil mills. It is a potential source of xylose which can be used as a raw material for production of xylitol, a high value product. The oil palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) is one of the major waste products of the oil palm industry and is currently used as organic mulch in young and mature oil palm plantations. However, EFB is an organic waste that is hard to decay due to the presence of cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. The main aim of this research is to improve the process of decomposition of palm oil Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) by using cellulolytic bacteria. The termite is first smashed and put into two solutions which are Nutrient Broth (NB) and Maximum Recovery Diluent (MRD). After spread plate process, the bacteria are separated into different bottles. Then, after going through the streak plate process, the result shows the presence of cellulase, mananase and xylanase in the bacteria.