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On the bacterial degradation of lignin

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Summary

Several bacteria which can degrade numerous phenols with structural relationships to lignin were tested for their ability to degrade lignin. The biodegradation with all the tested bacteria was poor. The method of lignin extraction, presence of glucose as cosubstrate and changes in the nitrogen source of the medium did not affect the extent of lignin degradation. The poor degradation does not seem to be influenced by medium composition and culture condition but is more probably due to the inability of the tested bacteria to degrade lignin to any considerable extent.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biotechnology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH-Hönggerberg, CH-8093, Zürich, Switzerland

    H. Janshekar & A. Fiechter

Authors
  1. H. Janshekar
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  2. A. Fiechter
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Janshekar, H., Fiechter, A. On the bacterial degradation of lignin. European J. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 14, 47–50 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00508003

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00508003

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