Isolation Optimization and Characterization of Polyhydroxyalkanaotes PHA produced from Pseudomonads

Abstract

Mineral based plastics are the most extensively used polymer due to its multi-dimensional properties and thus applied in various fields and thus mass produced. The major challenge faced is its recalcitrant properties which make it difficult to biodegrade easily and thus accumulate and pollute the environment. Thus, the need of the hour is to replace it with ecofriendly biodegradable polymer which shows as versatile properties as that of the mineral based polymer yet are biodegradable in nature. One such class of biologically reproduced bio-based polymer is Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) which comes under the class of Green Plastic or Biodegradable plastic polymers. Polyhydroxyalkanoates are polyesters accumulated within certain bacterial cells as a source of carbon and also as an energy reserve packet termed as carbonosomes. The present study aimed at isolating such potentials Pseudomonas sps, and screening them for PHA production and selecting the best isolate in this case Pseudomonas aeruginosa P19 for optimization MSM media was selected. The optimized media yielded 2.16 g l-1 of PHA.The characterization and purification of PHA revealed that P. aeruginosa P19 produces a PHA containing methyl butyrate as monomers and ispolyhydroxy butyrate or PHB.