Pseudomonas oleovorans as a Source of Poly(β-Hydroxyalkanoates) for Potential Applications as Biodegradable Polyesters

Abstract

Pseudomonas oleovorans was grown in homogeneous media containing n-alkanoic acids, from formate to decanoate, as the sole carbon sources. Formation of intracellular poly(β-hydroxyalkanoates) was observed only for hexanoate and the higher n-alkanoic acids. The maximum isolated polymer yields were approximately 30% of the cellular dry weight with growth on either octanoate or nonanoate. In most cases, the major repeating unit in the polymer had the same chain length as the n-alkanoic acid used for growth, but units with two carbon atoms less or more than the acid used as a carbon source were also generally present in the polyesters formed. Indeed, copolymers containing as many as six different types of β-hydroxyalkanoate units were formed. The weight average molecular weights of the poly(β-hydroxyalkanoate) copolymers produced by P. oleovorans ranged from 90,000 to 370,000. In spite of the higher cell yields obtained with octanoate and nonanoate, the use of hexanoate and heptanoate yielded higher-molecular-weight polymers. These copolyesters represent an entirely new class of biodegradable thermoplastics.