Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are naturally occurring polyesters synthesized by bacteria for carbon and energy storage and it has commercial potential as bioplastic. The bacterial species Bacillus circulans MTCC 8167, isolated from crude oil contaminated soil, can efficiently produce medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (P-3HB-co-3HV) from cheap carbon sources like dextrose. The molecular mass of P-3HB-co-3HV was reported as 5.1×104Da with polydispersity index of 1.21 by gel permeation chromatography. In the present investigation different bacteria and fungi species were used for testing the biodegradability of the extracted polymer. The FTIR spectra of the biodegraded PHBV film showed a decrease in the peak from 1735cm−1 (untreated film) to 1675cm−1, and disappearance of a peak present in the control at 2922cm−1 indicating the breakdown of ester (>CO) or O–R group and –CH bond, respectively. From biodegradability testing, the tested microorganisms were found to have decisive contribution to the biodegradation of P-3HB-co-3HV polymer.
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