Microbial production of critical enzymes of lignolytic functions

Abstract

The lignocellulosic waste produced globally are in massive amounts that leads to landfills. The biomass is underutilized and results in the generation of waste in the environment. In nature, the lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant renewable source for production of value-added compounds. Lignolytic enzymes are used as a sustainable biological method for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass. After this process the valuable end products produced are chemicals, feed materials, biofuels, and organic acids. The enzymes are economical and environmentally friendly used for degradation of lignocellulosic biomass. The enzymes have more applications related to textile industry for the degradation of dyes, waste water treatment, solid waste management, sewage water treatment, food industry, pharmaceuticals, and biofuel industries. The enzymes are produced by microorganisms having the ability to degrade the biomass into valuable end products due to its multienzyme complex system. Further, research is required to explore the potential lignolytic microorganisms among the microbial communities for the breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass and its lignin content. The chapter deals with the sources of lignolytic enzymes, different classes of lignolytic enzymes, in-silico approaches, industrial applications in various fields, and future prospects.