AGRICULTURAL WASTES AS A CARBON OR NITROGEN SOURCE FOR PRODUCTION OF BACTERIAL CELLULOSE. A MINI REVIEWKHULOOD FAHAD SAUD ALABBOSH, NUR HAZLIN HAZRIN CHONG AND AISHA NAWAF AL BALAWIAbstract Bacterial cellulose (BC), a biopolymer, has gained importance in the recent past due to its physicochemical properties, which are desirable for various biotechnology, microbiological, and material science applications. Since cost is a significant limitation in the production of cellulose, there have been efforts to identify potential means of addressing this issue. Currently, all efforts are focused on using agricultural waste as a cost-effective substrate for the synthesis of microbial cellulose. This is to solve an existing environmental problem with the accumulation of these wastes and the resulting damages such as environmental pollution. Uncertainties abound regarding the capacity for large-scale commercial production of microbial cellulose using different types of waste materials. This study investigates researches on the feasibility of using waste as a source of carbon and nitrogen for commercial-scale production of bacterial cellulose. Preliminary findings reveal the potential to yield a high concentration of bacterial cellulose from various agricultural wastes. Moreover, recent research activities in the production of BC are also discussed. This review, at the same time, discusses some applications of BC briefly. The findings indicate an agricultural waste is an effective and good source for cellulose production. |