Partial purification and characterization of a thermostable xylanase from Bacillus licheniformis isolated from hot water geyser

Background Thermo-alkali stable xylanases were purified from the extracellular broth of newly isolated Bacillus licheniformis strain produced in a 5-L stirred-tank bioreactor with wheat bran as a carbon source. Results A high degree of purity was achieved using size exclusion chromatography resulting in 16-fold purification and 69% recovery for fraction 5 which had the highest activity. The recovery obtained after pooling fractions 5 and 6 was 99%. The K m value of xylanase was calculated as 0.05 mM, and V max was 125 μmol/min/mg protein. Conclusion Purified xylanase had a high thermal and pH stability. Xylanase was found to be suitable for application in the de-inking of paper and for saccharification of lignocellulosic waste biomass.