Characterization of medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate produced from olive oil deodorizer distillate

Olive oil deodorizer distillate (OODD) was used for the first time as the sole substrate for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production by the bacterium Pseudomonas resinovorans in bioreactor cultivation. A PHA content in the biomass of 36 ± 0.8 wt% was attained within 19 h of cultivation. A final polymer concentration of 4.7 ± 0.3 g L−1 was reached, corresponding to a volumetric productivity of 5.9 ± 0.2 g L−1 day−1. The PHA was composed of 3-hydroxyoctanoate (48.3 ± 7.3 mol%), 3-hydroxydecanoate (31.6 ± 2.6 mol%), 3-hydroxyhexanoate (12.1 ± 1.1 mol%) and 3-hydroxydodecanoate (8.0 ± 0.7 mol%) and it had a glue-like consistency that did not solidify at room temperature. The polymer was highly amorphous, as shown by its low crystallinity of 6 ± 0.2%, with low melting and glass transition temperatures of 36 ± 1.2 and −16 ± 0.8 °C, respectively. The polymer exhibited a shear thinning behavior and a mechanical spectrum with a predominant viscous contribution. Its shear bond strength for wood (67 ± 9.4 kPa) and glass (65 ± 7.3 kPa) suggests it may be used for the development of biobased glues.