Metagenomic bioprospecting: discovery and characterization of a novel esterase for biomass conversion
| dc.contributor.advisor | Tuffin Marla | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ohlhoff Colin W. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-06-30T12:52:28Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-06-30T12:52:28Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Due to an increasing human population and ever-expanding industrial economies, fossil fuel reserves are rapidly being depleted. In order to reduce our dependence on non-renewable energy resources much global interest has been directed towards the development and production of biofuels. Plant biomass has been identified as a possible feedstock for alternative fuel production and typically consists of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Although these components can serve as valuable substrates in the bioconversion process, they are generally recalcitrant to enzymatic degradation. Current hydrolytic methods limit the depolymerization of the lignocellulose component of plant biomass, which in turn decreases the yield of potential fermentable sugars. As microorganisms represent an intriguing, underexploited resource for the discovery of novel biocatalysts, this study employed a metagenomic approach towards the identification of enzymes for lignocellulose hydrolysis. A large-insert metagenomic fosmid library was constructed using total DNA extracted from thermophilic compost samples. The library comprised 150 000 clones, with an average insert size of 31 Kb, representing approximately 1300 prokaryotic genomes. Initial emphasis was placed on the assessment of the bacterial phylogenetic make-up of the metagenomic library and its validity for the mining of functional enzymes. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | N/A | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10566/20559 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Western Cape | |
| dc.relation.ispartofseries | N/A | |
| dc.subject | Metagenomics | |
| dc.subject | Gene discovery | |
| dc.subject | Lignocellulose | |
| dc.subject | Biofuel | |
| dc.subject | Functional screening | |
| dc.title | Metagenomic bioprospecting: discovery and characterization of a novel esterase for biomass conversion | |
| dc.type | Thesis |