Assessment of Long-Term Fermentability of PHA-Based Materials from Pure and Mixed Microbial Cultures for Potential Environmental Applications

The use of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) as slow-release electron donors for environmental remediation represents a novel and appealing application that is attracting considerable attention in the scientific community. In this context, here, fermentation pattern different types PHA-based materials has been investigated batch continuous-flow experiments. Along with commercially available materials, produced from axenic microbial cultures, PHA at pilot scale by mixed cultures (MMC) using waste feedstock have also tested. As main finding, rapid onset volatile fatty acids (VFA) production was observed low-purity MMC-deriving material, consisting cells containing 56% (on weight basis) intracellular PHA. Indeed, material sustained, long-term organic (i.e., acetic, propionic, butyric acids) observed. addition, obtained yield conversion into (up to 70% gVFA/gPHA) higher than other tested made extracted purified These results clearly suggest possibility directly PHA-rich deriving MMC process, no need extraction purification procedures, sustainable effective carbon source bringing remarkable advantages an economic point view.