Polyhydroxyalkanoates and Their Applications

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical and Molecular Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2016) | Viewed by 21460

Special Issue Editor

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
Interests: microbial biotechnology; natural biomaterials and their biomedical applications

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are biodegradable and biocompatible polymers produced by a range of bacteria, normally under nutrient-limiting conditions. These polymers have potential to be used in both green polymer applications and biomedical applications. The diverse range of polymers included within this family increases their versatility and, hence, enhances their applicability attractiveness to academics and the industry. This edition will focus on the various modes of production of these polymers and their applications as green polymers, such as packaging material, adhesives, and for the development of biomedical products, such as medical devices, drug delivery constructs, and tissue engineering scaffolds.

Prof. Dr. Ipsita Roy
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Polyhydroxyalkanoates
  • Polyhydroxybutyrate
  • PHAs
  • Short chain length PHAs
  • Medium chain length PHAs
  • Biocompatible polymers
  • Biodegradable polymers
  • Green polymers
  • Natural polymers of bacterial origin
  • Packaging material
  • Adhesives
  • Medical devices
  • Tissue engineering scaffolds
  • Drug delivery

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

2974 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Physical Properties of Polyhydroxyalkanoate Polymers with Different Monomer Compositions by Recombinant Pseudomonas putida LS46 Expressing a Novel PHA SYNTHASE (PhaC116) Enzyme
by Parveen K. Sharma, Riffat I. Munir, Warren Blunt, Chris Dartiailh, Juijun Cheng, Trevor C. Charles and David B. Levin
Appl. Sci. 2017, 7(3), 242; https://doi.org/10.3390/app7030242 - 03 Mar 2017
Cited by 47 | Viewed by 8581
Abstract
A recombinant of Pseudomonas putida LS461 (deletion of the phaC1phaZphaC2 genes) was constructed by introducing cosmid JC123 carrying a novel phaC116 gene from a metagenomic clone. The resulting strain, P. putida LS46123, was able to synthesize polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymers with novel monomer [...] Read more.
A recombinant of Pseudomonas putida LS461 (deletion of the phaC1phaZphaC2 genes) was constructed by introducing cosmid JC123 carrying a novel phaC116 gene from a metagenomic clone. The resulting strain, P. putida LS46123, was able to synthesize polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymers with novel monomer compositions when cultured on glucose or free fatty acids, and accumulated PHAs from 9.24% to 27.09% of cell dry weight. The PHAs synthesized by P. putida LS46123 contained up to 50 mol % short chain length subunits (3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyvalerate), with the remaining monomers consisting of various medium chain length subunits. The PhaC116 protein expressed by P. putida LS46123 had an amino acid sequence similarity of 45% with the PhaC1 protein of the parent strain, P. putida LS46. Predicted 3D structures of the PhaC116 proteins from P. putida LS46123 and P. putida LS46 revealed several differences in the numbers and locations of protein secondary structures. The physical and thermal properties of the novel polymers synthesized by P. putida LS46123 cultured with glucose or free fatty acids differed significantly from those produced by P. putida LS46 grown on the same substrates. PHA polymers with different subunit compositions, and hence different physical and thermal properties, can be tailor-made using novel PHA synthase for specific applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyhydroxyalkanoates and Their Applications)
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4981 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Agarose and Xylan Degradation for Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates by Co-Culture of Marine Bacterium, Saccharophagus degradans and Its Contaminant, Bacillus cereus
by Shailesh S. Sawant, Bipinchandra K. Salunke, Larry E. Taylor and Beom Soo Kim
Appl. Sci. 2017, 7(3), 225; https://doi.org/10.3390/app7030225 - 28 Feb 2017
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 6788
Abstract
Over reliance on energy or petroleum products has raised concerns both in regards to the depletion of their associated natural resources as well as their increasing costs. Bioplastics derived from microbes are emerging as promising alternatives to fossil fuel derived petroleum plastics. The [...] Read more.
Over reliance on energy or petroleum products has raised concerns both in regards to the depletion of their associated natural resources as well as their increasing costs. Bioplastics derived from microbes are emerging as promising alternatives to fossil fuel derived petroleum plastics. The development of a simple and eco-friendly strategy for bioplastic production with high productivity and yield, which is produced in a cost effective manner utilising abundantly available renewable carbon sources, would have the potential to result in an inexhaustible global energy source. Here we report the biosynthesis of bioplastic polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) in pure cultures of marine bacterium, Saccharophagus degradans 2-40 (Sde 2-40), its contaminant, Bacillus cereus, and a co-culture of these bacteria (Sde 2-40 and B. cereus) degrading plant and algae derived complex polysaccharides. Sde 2-40 degraded the complex polysaccharides agarose and xylan as sole carbon sources for biosynthesis of PHAs. The ability of Sde 2-40 to degrade agarose increased after co-culturing with B. cereus. The association of Sde 2-40 with B. cereus resulted in increased cell growth and higher PHA production (34.5% of dry cell weight) from xylan as a carbon source in comparison to Sde 2-40 alone (22.7% of dry cell weight). The present study offers an innovative prototype for production of PHA through consolidated bioprocessing of complex carbon sources by pure and co-culture of microorganisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyhydroxyalkanoates and Their Applications)
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3048 KiB  
Article
Stabilization of Iron (Micro)Particles with Polyhydroxybutyrate for In Situ Remediation Applications
by Laura Chronopoulou, Cleofe Palocci, Francesco Valentino, Ida Pettiti, Stanisław Wacławek, Miroslav Černík and Marco Petrangeli Papini
Appl. Sci. 2016, 6(12), 417; https://doi.org/10.3390/app6120417 - 09 Dec 2016
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5188
Abstract
Groundwater is an extremely important resource that may, however, contain a variety of toxic and bioaccumulative contaminants. Traditional “Pump and Treat” technologies for treating contaminated groundwater are no longer time- or cost-effective; therefore, new technologies are needed. In this work, we synthesized core–shell [...] Read more.
Groundwater is an extremely important resource that may, however, contain a variety of toxic and bioaccumulative contaminants. Traditional “Pump and Treat” technologies for treating contaminated groundwater are no longer time- or cost-effective; therefore, new technologies are needed. In this work, we synthesized core–shell materials of micrometric dimensions based on the interaction of iron particles (the core) and fermentable biopolymers such as polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB, the surrounding shell) to be used in permeable reactive barriers for the removal of chlorinated pollutants from contaminated groundwater. The materials were prepared by precipitation techniques that allowed stable preparations to be obtained, whose chemico-physical properties were thoroughly characterized by scanning electron microscopy, porosimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analyses, disc centrifuge analysis, and dynamic light scattering. The properties of the prepared materials are very promising, and may enhance the performance of permeable reactive barriers towards chlorinated compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyhydroxyalkanoates and Their Applications)
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