Microbial consortium composed of Cellulomonas ZJW-6 and Acinetobacter DA-25 improves straw lignocellulose degradation

In the present study, 27 bacterial strains were isolated from environmental samples and screened for higher lignocellulose-degrading efficiency. The best degrader was combined in pairs with 14 strains with high β-glucosidase activity to formulate a consortium. Microbial consortium 625 showed high lignocellulose degradation efficiency. ZJW-6 with low β-glucosidase activity and the best lignocellulose decomposer was identified as a member of Cellulomonas. Consortium 625 composed of ZJW-6 and DA-25, an Acinetobacter, showed the highest degradation rate (57.62%) under optimized conditions. The DA-25 filtrate promoted ZJW-6 growth, upregulating the activity of key lignocellulose-degrading enzymes, including β-glucosidase, endoglucanase, xylanase, laccase, and lignin peroxidase. ZJW-6 and DA-25 worked in a subordination manner when co-cultivated. ZJW-6 acted as the major decomposer whose growth and enzymatic activities were promoted by DA-25. This study proposes a novel microbial consortium with improved lignocellulose degradation efficiency and reduce the C:N ratio of lignocellulose materials, which can enhance bioenergy production.