Production and characterization of a biodegradable poly (hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHB-co-PHV) copolymer by moderately haloalkalitolerant Halomonas campisalis MCM B-1027 isolated from Lonar Lake, India

Several microorganisms produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). They are accumulated intracellularly as energy storage compounds. The PHAs are of interest because of their potential in biomedical applications. Halophilic bacteria and archaea are known to produce polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). This paper describes production of a biodegradable copolymer, PHB-co-PHV by a moderately haloalkalitolerant Halomonas campisalis, isolated from Lonar Lake, India.The production of PHA was in the range of 45–81% on dry cell weight basis when the organism was grown in a production medium containing 1% (w/v) maltose and 0.1% (w/v) yeast extract, at pH ranging from 6 to 9 with an inoculum density of 105–107 cells/ml of medium, for incubation period of 15–30 h and at 37 °C. The polymer produced by the organism is a hydroxyester with molecular weight of 1.3014 × 106. Its melting temperature was 171 °C. The 1H NMR analysis revealed that the polymer was a copolymer of PHB-co-PHV. This could be achieved by providing simple carbon source viz. maltose.