ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Isolation, identification and screening of wild-type cellulolytic fungal isolates from pulp and paper mill wastes

Milly Vachhani, Priya Sutaoney, Mohammad Shahadat, and Paromita Banerjee

Department of Microbiology, Kalinga University, Raipur, India

E-mail: priyasutaoney@gmail.com

Received: 8 April 2024  Accepted: 25 February 2026

Abstract:

The current investigation focuses on isolating and identifying soil fungi from pulp and paper mill wastes and their potential to produce cellulases. Out of 82 identified fungal colonies, 12 isolated species belong to the genera Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Penicillium, Humicola, Rhizopus, of which one was sterile mycelia. Moreover, 12 fungal isolates were further subjected to qualitative screening, confirming cellulase production from 10 isolates. The cellulolytic index (CI) ranged from 1.33 to 2.47. The highest CI was exhibited by Fusarium sp. (KU11), and the lowest CI was shown by Humicola sp. (KU9) and Cladosporium sp. (KU8), respectively. The present study's findings revealed that Fusarium sp. (KU11) was found to be a potent cellulase producer that can be effectively utilized in pulp and paper industries for waste recycling and other relevant applications.

Graphical abstract

Keywords: Cellulases; Fungi; Humicola sp; Cladosporium sp; Fusarium sp; Waste recycling

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-026-04770-0

Chemical Papers 80 (6) 7093–7103 (2026)