Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are the polymers of hydroxyalkanoates that accumulate as a carbon/energy storage material in various microorganisms. PHAs have been attracting considerable attention as biodegradable substitutes for conventional polymers, because of their similar material properties to conventional plastics. A number of review articles on the general features of PHAs, the physiology, genetics and molecular biology, the development of PHAs having novel monomer constituents, production processes, biodegradation of PHAs are available. Recently much effort has been devoted to develop a process for the economical production of PHAs. The isolation, analysis and characterization of PHAs are important factors for any process development. A number of methods have been developed for the analysis of PHAs. This paper is an effort to compile the methods available for the identification, quantitative estimation and characterization of PHAs. The methods described in this paper include- staining reactions, spectrophotometric methods, infrared and FTIR spectroscopy, HPLC, gas chromatography and GC-MS analysis, NMR spectroscopy, flow cytometry and spectrofluorometry, molecular weight determination and thermal analysis. The methods have been discussed with their advantages and disadvantages. Recent developments in the analysis of PHAs have also been discussed.

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Anaerobic digestion of night soil with cattle dung slurry in biogas plants is advocated in Indian villages as a means of disposal of human excreta in the absence of conventional sanitary systems. Although intestinal pathogens are likely to be eliminated during anaerobic digestion, there is no conclusive evidence that this is so. Large numbers of saprophytic organisms in the fermenting mass make it impossible to detect the residual pathogens. Use of an antibiotic-resistant strain of Salmonella typhimurium as a test organism to study its survival during anaerobic digestion showed that the organism is totally eliminated in nine days.

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