Harnessing the potential of marine bacteria: Production, kinetics, and characterization of bacterial nanocellulose

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) exhibits promising application in the biomedical sector due to its distinctive physico-chemical attributes. However, the current challenges of high expenses and low productivity associated with existing techniques for BNC production necessitate attention. Consequently, this investigation utilized marine bacteria from the Pichavaram mangrove forest for the production of BNC. Among the various marine bacterial isolates, NCB8 demonstrated a notable capacity for BNC production and was identified through 16S rRNA sequencing as belonging to the Bacillus sp. The study systematically examined the impact of carbon source, incubation temperature, and pH on BNC production, resulting in an optimal yield of approximately 9.32 g/L when sucrose was employed as the carbon source at pH 5 and an incubation temperature of 35 degrees C. Additionally, the strain underwent kinetic analysis using first-order reaction kinetics for BNC production rate, sugar uptake rate, and BNC conversion yield, revealing values of 0.58 g/L/day, 0.10 g/L/day, and 5.45 g/g, respectively, with an R-2 value of 0.94. Characterization of the produced BNC involved Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. FTIR analysis confirmed characteristic cellulose structure peaks, while FE-SEM displayed a uniform arrangement of thin, thread-like cellulose nanofibrils that were densely packed and randomly oriented. XRD analysis identified characteristic peaks at 2 theta values of 14.2, 16.9, and 21.6, corresponding to crystalline planes of cellulose lattice (1(-)10), (110), and (200). In conclusion, the marine bacteria Bacillus sp. emerges as an excellent source for efficient BNC synthesis for possible applications including bio-packaging, wound dressing material and drug delivery system.