Abstract
In recent years, the growing demand of environmentally friendly materials has attracted considerable interest on microbial cellulose (MC) production from bacteria due to its special physiochemical properties. MC is a natural cellulose which can be produced by microorganisms, fungi, and bacteria such as Agrobacterium, Achromobacter, Rhodobacter, and Gluconacetobacter xylinus (previously known as Acetobacter xylinum). In comparison to cellulose derived from plants, MC displays higher tensile strength, higher crystallinity, moldability, higher purity, and better biocompatibility and biodegradability. These remarkable features make MC a better alternative to cellulose derived from plants for certain novel applications. The drawbacks of MC are its high cost of production and low yield which in turn limit its use. Therefore, this chapter thoroughly discusses the current research efforts of producing MC, overcoming the drawbacks during production, and industrial applications.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Soil Microenvironment for Bioremediation and Polymer Production |
Publisher | wiley |
Pages | 307-318 |
Number of pages | 12 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781119592129 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781119592051 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2019 |
Keywords
- Bacteria
- Biodegradability
- Microbial cellulose
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry