Chlorine-free Extractions of Mixed-Culture Polyhydroxyalkanoates Produced from Fermented Sewage Sludge at Pilot Scale

Abstract

In this study, various conventional and innovative methods were investigated for the recovery of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) from a single batch of biomass produced at a pilot scale from mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) and fermented sewage sludge as a feedstock. Sustainable chlorine-free methods using NaOH and/or H 2 O 2 , as well as extraction in nontoxic ethyl acetate, were analyzed. Interestingly, the combined treatment of biomass with NaOH and H 2 O 2 solutions demonstrated good recovery (70 wt %) and high purity (92 wt %) of the polymer in small-scale trials. Moreover, when the coupled treatment was performed on a larger biomass quantity (approximately 200 g), it achieved high purity and recovery yield (93 and 88 wt %, respectively), indicating the feasibility of this extraction method on a larger scale.

A review on microbes mediated resource recovery and bioplastic (polyhydroxyalkanoates) production from wastewater

“…It facilitates hydrolysis and oxidation. [ 185 ] Wastewater 10 L Inactivation with 0.2% formaldehyde then cell mass recovery and lyophilization and extraction with chloroform. 20% - - Comparatively economic and can be used at a higher scale as well accumulation was 33% dry cell weight.…”