Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

MICROBIAL SYNTHESIS OF BIO-POLYMERS OF POLYHYDROXYBUTYRATE (PHB) FROM SPENT WASH AS LOW-COST CARBON SOURCE IN THE MEDIUM

Patil G.V. and G.R. Pathade

Abstract

The use of plastics is widespread, from the automotive to the medical industries. The plastic takes a very long time to break down and is bad for the environment. It is best to use biodegradable plastics rather than such non-biodegradable polymers. The biopolymer polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) has characteristics similar to those of synthetic polymers and is vulnerable to microbial deterioration in the environment. Microorganisms like yeast and bacteria produce PHB when under stress. The primary objective of the study was to isolate bacterial strains from soil capable of generating PHB. Sudan Black B was used to detect PHB for the initial screening of the isolates. The method of digestion with sodium hypochlorite was used to extract PHB. PHBs that had been extracted were measured using UV-VIS spectroscopy and identified using FTIR and DSC.