İğneada longoz ormanında lignini biyokimyasal olarak parçalayan lignolitik mikroorganizmaların tespiti ve havasız çürütme teknolojilerinde biyoartırım

The pursuit of sustainable energy solutions has underscored the importance of anaerobic digestion for converting lignocellulosic biomass to renewable energy and compost. However, lignin's resistance to microbial breakdown poses a significant challenge, hindering methane production from plant waste. Current pretreatment methods to address this are not practical for widespread use due to high costs and complex operations. This thesis investigates lignin degradation under anaerobic conditions to enhance biogas production, focusing on bacteria within the lignin-rich İğneada floodplain forests. Initial sampling, followed by anaerobic enrichment, identified sediment from Hamam Lake and Bulanık Stream as sources of lignin-degrading bacteria. These bacteria were further enriched and their community dynamics monitored through 16S rRNA metabarcoding. A bacterium isolated from the sediments of Hamam Lake was identified as Citrobacter werkmanii through whole genome sequencing, followed by RNA-Seq analyses which demonstrated a significant increase in the expression of certain transcripts in a lignin-containing medium. The Results from Biomethane Potential assays revealed microbial communities with increased biogas production, demonstrating successful bioaugmentation. Metabarcoding analysis provided insights into the evolution of these communities due to lignin's selective pressure. The isolation of a bacterium adept at anaerobic lignin degradation marks a significant breakthrough in this study. The identification of these bacteria marks a significant step forward in biomass-to-biogas conversion technologies. This research sheds light on the genetic and metabolic pathways that allow microbes to bypass the lignin barrier in anaerobic conditions, offering a pathway to more economical and efficient biogas systems by harnessing the natural lignin-degrading abilities of microbial consortia.