Journal article
From carbon waste to carbon product: converting oxalate to polyhydroxybutyrate using a mixed microbial culture
Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, Vol.5(3), pp.2362-2365
2017
Abstract
Many industries outside the food sector produce waste streams containing highly oxidised forms of carbon waste, e.g. oxalate is a major by-product of the alumina industry. That carbon is a potential resource for bio-based transformation to marketable products. For the first time, a mixed microbial culture (MMC) has been used to convert oxalate to the biocompatible biopolymer polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) in non-trivial amounts (∼4.5% by weight). This is an order of magnitude greater than any previous report of oxalate to polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) conversion. An enriched culture capable of oxalate conversion was produced from a standard wastewater treatment inoculum without pre-acclimatising with a more reduced feedstock, e.g. acetate, or the need for expensive culture sterilisation. Oxalate utilisation and conversion was characterised under different pH conditions and oxalate concentrations (up to saturation). These findings indicate that valorization of waste streams containing highly oxidised waste carbon is a real possibility
Details
- Title
- From carbon waste to carbon product: converting oxalate to polyhydroxybutyrate using a mixed microbial culture
- Authors/Creators
- C. White (Author/Creator)D.W. Laird (Author/Creator)L.J. Hughes (Author/Creator)
- Publication Details
- Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, Vol.5(3), pp.2362-2365
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Identifiers
- 991005542481807891
- Copyright
- © 2017 Elsevier Ltd.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Engineering and Information Technology
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Citation topics
- 2 Chemistry
- 2.39 Polymer Science
- 2.39.515 Biodegradable Polymers
- Web Of Science research areas
- Engineering, Chemical
- Engineering, Environmental
- ESI research areas
- Engineering