© 2019 IJRAR June 2019, Volume 6, Issue 2 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138) IJRAR19K3144 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 103 Isolation, Optimization and Characterization of Cellulose Enzyme Production by Bacillus subtilis S.Prabhakar a *, Dr.C.Kandeepan b , R.Charulatha c a *Research Scholar, Department of Zoology, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli-627012, Tamil Nadu, India. b Assistant Professor and Head, PG and Research Department of Zoology, A.P.A. College of Arts and Culture, Palani- 624601, Tamil Nadu, India c Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Coimbatore- 641021, Tamil Nadu, India. ABSTRACT Cellulose, the most abundant and renewable material on earth, is a biopolymer of D-glucose units connected by β-1, 4 glycosidic linkages. The complete hydrolysis of cellulose into glucose involves cellulase are produced by bacteria, fungi, protozoans, plants and animals. Bacterial cellulases possess more advantages when compared to the cellulases from other sources. The present study is to demonstrate the isolation, identification and screening of bacteria with high cellulase activity from soil samples Cellulose degrading bacteria were isolated from soil sample using serial dilution and pour plate method. Bacteria were further identified by morphological and biochemical morphological tests. Key words: Bio mass, Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC), Cellulase, Bacillus subtilis INTRODUCTION Enzymes are delicate protein molecules necessary for life. Cellulose is the most abundant biomass on the earth 1 . Plant biomass contains cellulose as the major component. Cellulose accounts for 50% of the dry weight of plant biomass and approximately 50% of the dry weight of secondary sources of biomass such as agricultural wastes. Presently huge amount of agricultural and industrial cellulosic wastes have been accumulating in environment. Cellulose has attracted worldwide attentin as a renewable resource that can be converted into bio- based products and bioenergy 2 . Celluloses are observed as the most important renewable resource for bioconversion. It has been become the economic interest to develop an effective method to hydrolyze the cellulosic biomass 3 . Cellulose is commonly degraded by an enzyme called cellulase. This enzyme is produced by several microorganisms, commonly by bacteria and fungi. Cellulase is an important and essential kind of enzyme for carrying out the depolymerization of cellulose into fermentable sugar 2 . Cellulose is one of the most abundant polymer found in nature. It occurs in almost pure form in cotton fiber and in combination with other materials, such as lignin and hemicelluloses, in wood, plant leaves and stalks, etc. It has already been used in processing of coffee, in textile industry and in laundry detergents. Cellulose is a long chain polymer, made up of repeating units of glucose, a simple sugar, joined together with β-1,4 glycosidic linkages. Cellulases cause hydrolysis of the individual cellulose fibers to break it into smaller sugars units & finally producing glucose molecules 4 . Cellulose is the most common organic compound on Earth. It is well known that plants are the most common source of renewable carbon and energy on the earth.