A newly isolated soil fungus, Penicillium sp. TG2, had cellulase activities that were comparable to those of
Trichoderma reesei RUT-C30, a common commercial strain used for cellulase production. The maximal
and specific activities were 1.27 U/mL and 2.28 U/mg for endoglucanase, 0.31 U/mL and 0.56 U/mg for
exoglucanase, 0.54 U/mL and 1.03 U/mg for b-glucosidase, and 0.45 U/mL and 0.81 U/mg for filter paper
cellulase (FPase), respectively. Optimal FPase activity was at pH 5.0 and 50 C. We used a simultaneous
saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process, which employed the yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus and
Penicillium sp. TG2 cellulolytic enzymes, to produce ethanol from empty palm fruit bunches (EFBs), a
waste product from the palm oil industry. The present findings indicate that Penicillium sp. TG2 has great
potential as an alternative source of enzymes for saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass