Polyhydroxyalkanoates or PHAs are linear polyesters produced in nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids. They are produced by the bacteria to store carbon and energy. More than 150 different monomers can be combined within this family to give materials with extremely different properties.[1] These plastics are biodegradeable and are used in the production of bioplastics.
To produce PHA, a culture of a micro-organism such as Alcaligenes eutrophus is placed in a suitable medium and fed appropriate nutrients so that it multiplies rapidly. Once the population has reached a substantial level, the nutrient composition is changed to force the micro-organism to synthesize PHA. The yield of PHA obtained from the intracellular inclusions can be as high as 80% of the organism's dry weight.
Due to biocompatibility and
biodegradability of biologically-produced PHA for possible uses as
plastics with promising physical and chemical characteristics (e.g.,
can be changed by blending and/or modifying the surface), PHAs
could be applicable to be biodegradable polymers for green technology
of sustainable development [2].
The reason this bacterium interested me is because I swim a lot in my own creek on my farm and in many other freshwater rivers and lakes. Also, one of my dad’s friends actually got cellulitis from a cut and they found out that this little guy was the culprit.