• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 1999

The effect of surface roughness on biodegradability of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate) was investigated. The PHB film prepared by cooling the molten polymer slowly ($-0.5^{\circ}C$/min) had higher crystallinity and melting temperature than that prepared by quenching into liquid nitrogen followed by annealing at $90^{\circ}C$ for 2 hours. However, the former sample was found to degrade faster than the latter due to presence of microscopic crack. Roughening the surface of a PHB film by hot pressing under a coarse surfaced plate accelerated the bioerosion considerably of the sample in comparison with the sample having the same thermal history but smooth surface.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.390-397
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• 2023

Conventional extraction methods for polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics, cause a decrease in molecular weight and a change in properties. In this work, we developed a method to extract PHB accumulated in microorganisms by physical disruption through filtration using a spiked carbon nanotube (CNT) membrane with functionalized CNT. In addition, filtration of the PHB-containing microbial solution was performed to confirm PHB extraction, which was found to be 4% more efficient than chloroform, the most used extraction method. These results indicate that the spiked CNT membrane has potential in the bioplastics recovery process.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.597-606
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• 1992

Effects of dilution rate, inlet glucose and ammonium chloride concentrations on ,he performance of continuous culture of Alcaligenes eutrQPhus for poly-p-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) production were investigated. When inlet substrate concentrations were maintained constant (inlet glucose concentration = 20 g/l, inlet ammonium chloride concentration = 2 g/l), growth rate of residual biomass and PHB production rate showed its maximum at $0.1h^{-1}$ and $0.06h^{-1}$, respectively, and washout at $0.13h^{-1}$. PHB content decreased from 50% to 25% by increasing dilution rate, while specific PHB production rate increased continuously. Cell mass and PHB concentration gave its maximum values at inlet ammonium chloride concentration of 2 g/l and thereafter decreased, which showed the existence of substrate inhibition by ammonium. When inlet glucose concentration was 30 g/l, cell mass reached its maximum value, while PHB concentration increased continuously. The parameters of kinetic model were evaluated by the graphical and parameter estimation methods. The computer simulation results for the effects of dilution rate, inlet glucose and ammonium chloride concentrations fitted the experimental data very well.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.273-278
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• 1991

Methanol assimilating bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. ILS-003 was used to investigate the optimum conditions for the production of $poly-{\beta}-hydroxybutyric$ acid from methanol. For PHB production, the optimum initial pH was 6.4 and the optimum temperature was $30^{\circ}C$. Also the optimum methanol concentration was found to be 1.0%(v/v). In the PHB production, $(NH_4)_2SO_4$ was the most effective nitrogen source and the optimum concentration was 0.8 g/l, which was eqivalent to 17.4 in C/N ratio. Also, deficiency of the 2 valence metal ions in the medium had stimulating effect on PHB accumulation. Under the optimum substrate concentration, successive feeding of 0.25%(v/v) methanol was the most effective on PHB production. Under the optimum conditions, 1.94 g/l of PHB and 2.78 g/l of dry biomass were produced in 96 hours, and the yield was 69.8%(w/w).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.475-481
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• 2002

Blend films of poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB) with chitosan were prepared, and their Physical properties and crystallization were investigated. The degree of crystallinity of PHB/chitosan films by X-ray diffraction decreased with increasing chitosan concentration. In the fourier-transformed infrared spectra, carbonyl peak of PHB became lower with increasing the amount of chitosan. The addition of chitosan to PHB film decreased thermal stability and crystallinity of the blend films. The granular sizes of the films were reduced with the addition of chitosan to the film in the microstructural observation by a scanning electron microscope. Mechanical properties, including tensile strength and percent elongation, of the blend films increased with increasing chitosan ratio in the films. For color of the films, L and b values generally decreased with increasing chitosan ratio, but transparency of the films increased.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.776-784
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• 2019

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), the most well-known polyhydroxyalkanoate, is a bio-based, biodegradable polymer that has the potential to replace petroleum-based plastics. Lignocellulose hydrolysate, a non-edible resource, is a promising substrate for the sustainable, fermentative production of PHB. However, its application is limited by the generation of inhibitors during the pretreatment processes. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of PHB production in E. coli in the presence of inhibitors found in lignocellulose hydrolysates. Our results show that the introduction of PHB synthetic genes (bktB, phaB, and phaC from Ralstonia eutropha H16) improved cell growth in the presence of the inhibitors such as furfural, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and vanillin, suggesting that PHB synthetic genes confer resistance to these inhibitors. In addition, increased PHB production was observed in the presence of furfural as opposed to the absence of furfural, suggesting that this compound could be used to stimulate PHB production. Our findings indicate that PHB production using lignocellulose hydrolysates in recombinant E. coli could be an innovative strategy for cost-effective PHB production, and PHB could be a good target product from lignocellulose hydrolysates, especially glucose.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.512-518
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• 2006

A biodegradable polymer poly((R) -3-hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB) was conjugated with a hydrophilic polymer poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) by the ttansesterification reaction to form the amphiphilic block copolymer. PHB with low molecular weight ($3000{\sim}30000$) was appropriated for the drug delivery materials. High molecular weight PHB was hydrolyzed by an acid-catalyst to produce the low molecular weight one. Amphiphilic block copolymer was formed the self-assembled polymeric micelle system in the aqueous solution that the hydrophillic PEG was wraped the hydrophobic PHB. Generally, polymeric micelle forms the small particle between $10{\sim}200nm$. These polymeric micelle systems have been widely used for the drug delivery systems because they were biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic and patient compliant. The hydroxyl group of PEG was substituted with carboxyl group which has the reactivity to the ester group of PHB. Amphiphilic block copolymer was conjugated between PHB, and modified PEG at $176^{\circ}C$ which was higher than the melting point of PHB. Transesterification reaction was verified with DSC, FTIR, $^1H-NMR$. In the aqueous solution, critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the mPEG-co-PHB copolymer measured by the fluororescence scanning spectrometer was $5{\times}10^{-5}g/L$. The shape and size of the nanoparticle was taken by dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy. The size of the nanoparticle was about 130 nm and the shape was spherical. Our polymeric micelle system can be used as the passive targeting drug delivery system.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.195-198
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• 2003

Epoxidized polybutadiene (EPB) was prepared by polybutadiene (PB) with m-chloroperbenzoic acid (MCPBA) in homogeneous solution. EPB was blended with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) up to 30 wt% by solution-precipitation procedure. The thermal decomposition of PHB/EPB blends was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The thermograms of PHB/EPB blends contained a two-step degradation process, while that of pure PHB sample exhibited only one-step degradation process. This degradation behavior of PHB/EPB blends, which have a higher thermal stability as measured by maximum decomposition temperature and residual weight, is probably due to crosslinking reactions of the epoxide groups in the EPB component with the carboxyl chain ends of PHB fragments during the degradation process, and the occurrence of such reactions can be assigned to the exothermic peaks in their DTA thermograms.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.76-83
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• 2019

In this study, the optimal growth and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) biosynthesis of Pseudomonas sp. EML2 were established using waste frying oil (WFO) as a cheap carbon source. The fatty acid composition of WFO and fresh frying oil (FFO) were analyzed by gas chromatography. The unsaturated and saturated fatty acid contents of the FFO were 82.6% and 14.9%, respectively. These contents changed in the WFO. The compositional change in the unsaturated fatty acid content in the WFO was due to a change in its chemical and physical properties resulting from heating, an oxidation reaction, and hydrolysis. The maximum dry cell weight (DCW) and PHB yield (g/l) of the isolated strain Pseudomonas sp. EML2 were confirmed under the following culture conditions: 30 g/l of WFO, 0.5 gl of $NH_4Cl$, pH 7, and $20^{\circ}C$. Based on this, the growth and PHB yield of Pseudomonas sp. EML2 were confirmed by 3 l jar fermentation. After the cells were cultured in 30 g/l of WFO for 96 h, the DCW, PHB content, and PHB yield of Pseudomonas sp. EML2 were 3.6 g/l, 73 wt%, and 2.6 g/l, respectively. Similar results were obtained using 30 g/l of FFO as a carbon source control. Using the FFO, the DCW, PHB content, and PHB yield were 3.4 g/l, 70 wt%, and 2.4 g/l, respectively. Pseudomonas sp. EML2 and WFO may be a new candidate and substrate, respectively, for industrial production of PHB.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.475-482
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• 1994

To find out the optimum conditions for the cell growth and the synthesis of PHB in A. eutrophus, the effects of culture conditions and extracellular by-products were investigated. Glucose and$>(NH_4)_2HP0_4$were optimum carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively for cell growth of A. eutrophus. PHB accumulation was stimulated by deficiency of nutrients such as $>NH_4^{3-}, P0_4^{3-}, and Mg^{2+}$ in the medium. $>NH_4^+$, deficiency was the most suitable for PHB accumulation and PHB accumulation ratio was reached 42% of dry cell weight. The specific growth rate was increased 1.5 times by addition yeast extract in the medium, and proteins and vitamins are supposed a main factor of that effect. The extracellular products such as ethanol and butanediol were excreted under anaerobic conditions. And ethanol was found to decrease the specific growth rate.