A SIMPLE METHOD FOR RECOVERY OF MICROBIAL POLY-BETA-HYDROXYBUTYRATE BY ALKALINE-SOLUTION TREATMENT

Abstract

A novel and simple purification method for microbial poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) was developed. Sodium hydroxide was found to be efficient for digesting cell materials. Initial biomass concentration, NaOH concentation, digestion time, and incubation temperature were optimized. When 40 g/l of biomass was incubated in 0.1 N NaOH at 30 degrees C for 1 h, PHB purity of 88.4% with a weight average molecular weight (M(w)) of 770,000 and a polydispersity index (PI) of 2.4 was recovered with a yield of 90.8% from the biomass which initially contained PHB of a M(w) of 780,000 and a PI of 2.3.