Abstract: The invention relates to specific bacterium and proteins with xylanase activity derived from the bacteria, in particular to xylanases which are free of any significant cellulase activity and which are active at high temperature and at neutral to alkaline pH. Xylanases having these characteristics are particularly useful in the bleaching of wood pulps, such as kraft pulps. The preferred bacterium designated B230 was isolated from white-rotted kerri wood in Western Australia; a sample of which has been deposited under the provision of the Budapest Treaty in the Australian Government Analytical Laboratories under the accession number N94/41262. This preferred bacterium is a gram positive, obligatively aerobic, rod-shaped with a centrally-located spore and has the taxomonic characteristics of Bacillus subtilis (by VITEK method).
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 16, 2000
Date of Patent:
April 15, 2003
Assignee:
Agenix Limited
Inventors:
Robert William Dunlop, Bin Wang, Diane Ball, Alexander Buhisan Roullo, Cedric John Falk