Authors: Rafael C S Rocha Luiziana F da Silva Marilda K Taciro José G C Pradella
Publish Date: 2007/07/22
Volume: 24, Issue: 3, Pages: 427-431
Abstract
The biosynthesis of poly3hydroxybutyrateco3hydroxyvalerate from sucrose and propionic acid by Burkholderia sacchari IPT 189 was studied using a twostage bioreactor process In the first stage this bacterium was cultivated in a balanced culture medium until sucrose exhaustion In the second stage a solution containing sucrose and propionic acid as carbon source was fed to the bioreactor at various sucrose/propionic acid s/p ratios at a constant specific flow rate Copolymers with 3HV content ranging from 40 down to 65 mol were obtained with 3HV yield from propionic acid Y 3HV/prop increasing from 110 to 134 g g−1 Copolymer productivity of 1 g l−1 h−1 was obtained with polymer biomass content rising up to 60 by increasing a specific flow rate at a constant s/p ratio Increasing values of 3HV content were obtained by varying the s/p ratios A simulation of production costs considering Y 3HV/prop obtained in the present work indicated that a reduction of up to 73 can be reached approximating US 100 per kg which is closer to the value to produce P3HB from sucrose US 075 per kg
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