Previous research has demonstrated that production of natural fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites (NFRTCs) utilizing bacterially-derived pure polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) does not yield a product that is cost competitive with synthetic plastic-based NFRTCs. Moreover, the commercial production of pure PHB is not without environmental impacts. To address these issues, we integrated unpurified ...

In this study, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)--a biodegradable plastics material--was produced by activated sludge performing enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) in batch experiments under anaerobic, aerobic and anaerobic/aerobic conditions. Under anaerobic conditions, the maximum PHB content of the dry biomass was 28.8% by weight, while under aerobic or anaerobic/aerobic conditions, the m...

microbial cells are producers of natural polymers present in plant cells. production of pullulan (an extracellular microbial polysaccharide) by aureobasidium pullularia pullulans (p. pullulans) was studied under fermentation conditions, and kinetic parameters were determined. pullulan formation obeyed a growth and non-growth associated term. phb (polyhydroxybutyrates) an intracellular biopolyme...

In this study, blends of polypropylene (PP) with polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) biopolymers wood flour were prepared, Fuzzy Grey Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods used to determine the best properties. The physical, mechanical, thermal, structural, morphological properties composites determined. obtained results showed that PLA generally improved mechanical PP c...

Recovery of biodegradable plastics from activated sludge is a promising sustainable technology. In this study, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) – a biodegradable plastics material was produced by activated sludge performing enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) in batch experiments under anaerobic, aerobic and anaerobic/aerobic conditions. Under anaerobic conditions, the PHB content of 28.8% o...

Microspheres have been prepared from the resorbable linear polyester of beta-hydroxybutyric acid (polyhydroxybutyrate, PHB) by the solvent evaporation technique and investigated in vitro and in vivo. Biocompatibility of the microspheres has been proved in tests in the culture of mouse fibroblast cell line NIH 3T3 and in experiments on intramuscular implantation of the microspheres to Wistar rat...

Crude glycerol (CG), a by-product of biodiesel production, is an organic carbon-rich substrate with potential as feedstock for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production. PHA is a biodegradable thermoplastic synthesized by microorganisms as an intracellular granule. In this study we investigated PHA production on CG using mixed microbial consortia (MMC) and determined that the enriched MMC produced ...

Molecular analysis of a genomic region of Bacillus megaterium, a polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-producing microorganism, revealed the presence of a gene coding for the enzyme phosphotransbutyrylase (Ptb). Enzyme activity was measured throughout the different growth phases of B. megaterium and was found to correlate with PHB accumulation during the late-exponential growth phase. Ptb expression was re...

Biodegradable polymers such as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) are part of the emerging portfolio of renewable materials, which are addressing the issue of plastic waste. Syngas, as a cheap, renewable and sustainable resource that can be obtained from biomass or waste, is viewed as an excellent feedstock for different bioprocesses, including syngas to PHB bioconversion. However, due to the hazardous ...

We investigated the effects of different feeding regimens (1-pulse, stepwise, and continuous) of fermented food-waste liquid on polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production. The fermentation liquid was filtered with a membrane filter (pore size, 0.45 μm) to remove anaerobic microorganisms and solids and used as a carbon source for Cupriavidus necator. One-pulse feeding yielded the highest cell concentr...