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Production of poly( D ‐3‐hydroxybutyrate) from CO 2 , H 2 , and O 2 by high cell density autotrophic cultivation of Alcaligenes eutrophus
Author(s) -
Tanaka Kenji,
Ishizaki Ayaaki,
Kanamaru Toshihisa,
Kawano Takeharu
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.260450312
Subject(s) - fermentation , autotroph , oxygen , polyhydroxyalkanoates , chemistry , carbon dioxide , heterotroph , industrial fermentation , oxidizing agent , bioreactor , hydrogen , bacteria , biodegradable plastic , microorganism , food science , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , biology , genetics , engineering
Hydrogen‐oxidizing bacterium, Alcaligenes eutrophus autotrophically produces biodegradable plastic material, poly( D ‐3‐hydroxybutyrate), P(3HB), from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen. In autotrophic cultivation of the microorganism, it is essential to eliminate possible occurrence of gas explosions from the fermentation process. We developed a bench‐plant scale, recycled‐gas, closed‐circuit culture system equipped with several safety features to perform autotrophic cultivation of A. eutrophus by maintaining the oxygen concentration in the substrate gas phase below the lower limit for a gas explosion (6.9%). The culture vessel utilized a baskettype agitator, resulting in a K L a value of 2970 h −1 . Oxygen gas was also directly fed to the fermentor separately from the other gases. As a result, 91.3 g · dm −3 of the cells and 61.9 g · dm −3 of P(3HB) were obtained after 40 h of cultivation under this oxygen‐limited condition. The results compared favorably with those reported for mass production of P(3HB) by heterotrophic fermentation. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.