Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) Production by Bacteria and its Application as Biodegradable Plastic in Various Industries

Abstract

Commercially available plastics are commonly used in day to day life. The rate of accumulation of plastic in the environment is increasing day by day which becomes a major universal concern due to its less biodegradation property. Generated plastic waste is managed by incineration or landfill disposal. These processes are time -consuming and expensive. The main objective of the study involves the investigation bio-degradable polymers viz Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) produced by bacterial species (Alcaligenes). The stock culture of Alcaligenes species was cultured at a rate of 5% in production media containing 2.5% of sucrose. The growth was quantified through optical density, biomass and PHB. The biomass of the culture was 2.7g/l. The growth curve was obtained that was following the same trend. The PHB was estimated through gas chromatography. The biodegradable plastic was significantly produced by bacteria in the production media that has potential in medical applications, including drug delivery and medical implants.