earticle

영어

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastic that can be synthesized in many microorganisms from almost all genera of the microbial kingdom. PHAs are usually accumulated within cells when growth is limited by nutrients such as nitrogen, oxygen, and other essential elements while in the presence of excess carbon. PHAs have attracted much industrial attention because of their potential use as biodegradable thermoplastic. Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) are produced by anaerobic treatment of food wastes and can be utilized as inexpensive substrates for PHA synthesis. In this study, several Ralstonia eutropha strains were grown on the mixture of VFAs (acetic, propionic and butyric acid) as carbon and energy source for growth and PHA synthesis. R. eutropha KCTC 2658 accumulated PHAs up to 50% of dry cell weight from total 5 g/L of VFAs (acetic acid : propionic acid : butyric acid = 1:2:2). The consumption of VFAs was determined using HPLC. Batch cultures were carried out to monitor cell growth, substrate consumption, and PHA accumulation.