Abstract
There is an increasing demand for bio-based polymers that are developed from recycled materials. The production of biodegradable polymers can include bio-technological (utilizing microorganisms or enzymes) or chemical synthesis procedures. This report demonstrates the corroboration of the molecular structure of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) obtained by the conversion of waste polyethylene (PE) via non-oxygenated PE wax (N-PEW) as an additional carbon source for a bacterial species. The N-PEW, obtained from a PE pyrolysis reaction, has been found to be a beneficial carbon source for PHA production with Cupriavidus necator H16. The production of the N-PEW is an alternative to oxidized polyethylene wax (O-PEW) (that has been used as a carbon source previously) as it is less time consuming to manufacture and offers fewer industrial applications. A range of molecular structural analytical techniques were performed on the PHAs obtained; which included nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS). Our study showed that the PHA formed from N-PEW contained 3-hydroxybutyrate (HB) with 11 mol% of 3-hydroxyvalerate (HV) units.
Highlights
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a family of polyhydroxyesters with 3, 4, 5, and 6-hydroxyalkanoic acids that are biodegradable, non-toxic, biocompatible organic polyesters synthesized by some species of bacteria [1]
We propose that non-oxygenated PE wax (N-PEW) could be a pragmatic application of waste PE as a carbon source for PHA synthesis using Cupriavidus necator H16
N-PEW, a substance produced from waste PE materials is a potential carbon source for PHA production with C. necator
Summary
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a family of polyhydroxyesters with 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-hydroxyalkanoic acids that are biodegradable, non-toxic, biocompatible organic polyesters synthesized by some species of bacteria [1]. Traditional plastics, originate from petrochemical sources and have been a vital business commodity since their first industrial production They are lightweight, cheap to manufacture, strong, flexible, and adaptable, but petro-based polymers form a growing proportion of the municipal solid waste (MSW) produced world-wide annually [2] and their waste materials are extremely harmful on a microscopic scale. C. necator is a Gram-negative, hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium (“knallgas”) that is able to grow at the interface of anaerobic and aerobic environments [12] These microbes can synthesize PHA in the presence of excess amounts of carbon and limited nutrients [11] and they have been shown to metabolize a variety of carbon sources including fatty acids, hemicellulose, crude glycerol, methane, and even liquefied wood, for PHA production [11,23,24,25]. This is a novel use of N-PEWs with the aid of C. necator, which was selected due to its yield potential, limited resistance to copper metals (a possible contaminant from some wax production methods), growth rate at relatively low temperature, and its well-documented genetic profile and gene stability (for future modification and enhancement purposes) [16,25,26,27]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
