# _Bacillus_ sp. GLN Laccase Characterization: Industry and Biotechnology Implications
## 1 Introduction  
Microorganisms play crucial roles in the development of clean technologies across various sectors of the economy due to their versatility and metabolic diversity. They contribute to a sustainable environment by degrading pollutants into non-toxic or less toxic compounds [1, 2]. Microbial technology's flexibility makes it a pivotal element in sustainability efforts, addressing various challenges across different sectors [3]. Microorganisms mediate various bioprocesses through the synthesizing and secretion of enzymes and other metabolites. Microbial enzymes are preferred over plant and animal enzymes, because they are more stable, exhibit superior catalytic activity, and are easier to produce [4]. Among the diverse enzymes microbes produce, lignin-modifying enzymes, such as lacases, play significant roles in lignocellulosic biomass valorization and bio-remediation technology. Lacases are multicopper oxidases endowed with the catalytic potential to oxidize a broad spectrum of substrates, making them excellent biotools for detoxifying recalcitrant industrial pollutants. They act as either major players or ancillary agents in the biorefinery processing of lignocellulosic biomass into products, including fuels, materials, and chemicals, thereby fostering a circular economy [5, 6]. Fungal lacases have been the subject of extensive study due to their high redox potential. Nevertheless, they face numerous limitations, including low enzyme productionand ineffectiveness under extreme pH levels, temperatures, and high concentrations of salts, metals, or organic solvents, which impact their industrial prospects [7]. Fungi demonstrate a slow generation time and tend to accumulate high cell biomass, making their enzyme production and downstream processing tedious endeavors. On this ground, bacterial lacases are increasingly gaining significance due to their robust tendencies to address the shortcomings of fungal lacases. Bacterial increase research is currently on an upward trajectory due to its excellent properties, which promote its candidacy in diverse bioprocess technologies, including textile dye degradation, biobleaching, pulp delignification, and biosensor development, among other applications [8,9]. Bacterial genetic manipulation is a straightforward technique that creates a robust bacterial system with high enzyme yield capability, offering great benefits over their fungal counterparts. Lacase production is widespread among Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains. However, special attention has been given to the lacases from _Bacillus_ spp. [10,11], _Thermus_ spp. [12,13, 14], and _Geobacillus_ spp. [15,16, 17, 18] due to their robust biocompatibility and hyperstability profile under various process conditions. Thermal stable lacases are important in harsh industrial processing, as they maintain their catalytic conformation at high temperatures, while converting their substrates into products [8]. An enhanced enzymatic efficiency at elevated temperatures speeds up bioprocessing and minimizes the risk of microbial contamination, especially in the food and pharmaceutical industries [11]. Enhanced extracellular lacase productivity by wild bacterial strains is advantageous from an economic perspective compared to recombinant systems, which are capital-intensive to develop. Most thermophilic bacteria optimally secrete thermostable lacases in the production medium at high temperatures, partly due to the natural condition of the site of isolation. Therefore, exploring the ecological milieu of under-exploited temperate and subtropical zones could yield mesophilic bacterial strains with novel lacases, facilitating innovative and sustainable developments. Consequently, this study described the isolation of bacteria from decomposed wood biomass in a temperate climatic region of the Amathole Mountains in South Africa and assessed the bacteria for lacase production. The study further evaluated the best-performing bacterium identified as _Bacillus_ sp.