• KSBB Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.146-150
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• 2007

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-4HB)] microspheres were prepared using solvent evaporation technique. P(3HB-co-4HB) with 3.9 mol% 4HB was synthesized by fed-batch culture of Ralstonia eutropha. The effects of concentration and type of surfactant (Tween 80, sodium dodecylsulfate, and polyvinyl alcohol), addition of dispersion stabilizer (Acacia), concentration of polymer and model drug (bovine serum albumin) on particle size of the microspheres and their in vitro drug release characteristics were investigated. The average particle size of the microspheres decreased with the addition of dispersion stabilizer and increased with the concentration of surfactant, drug and polymer. Amount of drug release increased with decreasing particle size of the microspheres.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.277-282
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• 1998

The microbial degradation of $poly-{\beta}-hydroxybutyrate$ (PHB) films was studied in soil microco는 incubated at a constant temperature of 2, 10, 20, 30 and $40^{\circ}C$ for up to 49 days. The degradation rate measured through loss of weight was enhanced by incubation at a higher temperature. At the soil temperature $40^{\circ}C$, $poly-{\beta}-hydroxybutyrate$ was rapidly degraded at a decay rate of 3.5% weight loss per day. The degradation of $poly-{\beta}-hydroxybutyrate$ did not affected significantly the chemical properties of soils such as pH and electric conductivity. However, microbial activity of soil in terms of dehydrogenase activity was increased by the degradation of $poly-{\beta}-hydroxybutyrate$.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.239-243
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• 2010

Six strains of Ralstonia eutropha were grown to investigate characteristics of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) synthesis from vegetable oils or glycerol. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) homopolymer was formed using soybean oil, olive oil, or glycerol as carbon source, while poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) or poly(3-hydroxybutyrateco-3-hydroxyvalerate) copolymers were synthesized by co-feeding $\gamma$-butyrolactone or pentanoic acid, respectively. Optimum strain was determined as R. eutropha KCTC 2662 in terms of final cell concentration and PHA content. From 20 g/L of soybean oil (optimum substrate), cell concentration and PHA content at 72 h ranged 1.7~9.2 g/L and 70~92 wt%, respectively.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.588-592
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• 1995

Fed-batch fermentation was used to produce the high concentrations of poly-$\beta $-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and poly-$\beta $-(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHB/V). Specific growth rate ($\mu $), yield of cell from glucose (Y$_{x/s}$) were calculated from the two samples in 3 to 5 hours of interval and they were reflected on the determination of glucose feeding rate to maintain the glucose concentration at around 10 g/l in the culture broth. PHB was accumulated after the nitrogen became limited at 60 g/l of dry cell weight by changing ammonia water to 4N-NaOH solution. As results, the final dry cell weight (DCW) of 170 g/l, PHB of 115 g/l were obtained in 50 hours and the overall productivity was 2.4 g/l$\cdot $h. After PHB accumulation, cosubstrate of glucose and propionic acid (PA) was fed to accumulate PHB/V. But, PA feeding rate was decreased from 3 g/l$\cdot $h to 1 g/l$\cdot $h to prevent PA from accumulating to high level in the broth, which is very inhibitory to the cells. As results, DCW, PHB and PHV were 147.5 g/l, 90 g/l and 8 mole % of hydroxyvalerate, respectively.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.358-362
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• 2004

Characteristics of cell growth and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-4HB)] synthesis was investigated through flask and batch cultures of Alcaligenes latus and Comamonas acidovorans. The specific growth rate of C. acidovorans increased with yeast extract concentration and decreased with 1,4-butanediol concentration. Optimum glucose concentration for growth of C. acidovorans was 20 g/L. In one-step flask cultures of C. acidovorans, final dry cell weight and PHA content decreased with the ratio of 1,4-butanediol to glucose, while the 4HB fraction in copolymers gradually increased to 100 $mol\%$ with an initial 1,4-butanediol concentration of 20 g/L as single carbon source. The specific growth rate of A. latus decreased with v-butyrolactone concentration and optimum sucrose concentration for growth was 10 g/L. In batch cultures of A. latus, 4HB fraction increased with initial v-butyrolactone concentration. P(3HB-co-4HB) with 19 $mol\%$ 4HB was obtained when the initial ratio of v-butyloractone (g/L) to sucrose (g/L) was 10 : 10.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.540-542
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• 1998

Five microorganisms capable of degrading an aromatic medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate ($PHA_{MCL}$), poly(3-hydroxy-5-phenylvalerate) (PHPV), were isolated from wastewater-treatment sludge. Among the isolates, JS02 showed degrading activity consistantly during several transfers. The isolate JS02 could hydrolyze another aromatic MCL copolyester, poly(3-hydroxy-5-phenoxyvalerate-co-3-hydroxy-7-phenoxyheptanoate), ［P(5POHV-co-7POHH)］, and other short-chain-length PHAs ($PHA_{SCL}) such as poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) ［P3(HB)］, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) ［P(3 HB-co-4 HB)］, and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) ［P(3HB-co-3HV)］ with relatively low activity. The culture supernatant of JS02 showed hydrolyzing activity for the p-nitrophenyl esters of fatty acids.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.385-392
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• 2007

Poly (N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) groups were grafted onto a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroryvalerate) (PHBV) backbone in order to modify its properties and synthesize a novel biocompatible copolymer. The crystallization behavior of PHBV and grafted PHBV was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). During the cooling-induced crystallization process, the crystallization temperature and the crystallization rate of the grafted PHBV decreased with increasing PVP weight fraction. On the heating scans of all grafted PHBV samples, a new crystallization exothermic peak appeared at almost the same temperature, suggesting the operation of a recrystallization process, while the melting temperature ($T_m$) and the apparent enthalpy of fusion (${\Delta}H_f$) were not affected by graft modification. During the isothermal crystallization process at the same temperature, the presence of side PVP groups decreased the spherulitic growth rate and the spherulitic band spacing with increasing PVP weight fraction in samples.

• 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.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.147-149
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• 1996

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) was synthesized and accumulated intracellularly to a high concentration (7 g/l) by cultivating recombinant Escherichia coli XL1-Blue (pSYLl05) in a complex medium containing 20 g/l glucose. The morphology of PHB granules was examined by transmission electron microscopy. The PHB granules synthesized in recombinant E. coli were much larger than reported values for wild type microorganisms, and were often irregularly shaped. Some cells were apparently extruding PHB into the medium, which suggests that PHB granules maintain some fluidity and cells become fragile due to PHB accumulation.

• 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.