Author | : Andrew Ross Pfluger |
Publisher | : Stanford University |
Total Pages | : 152 |
Release | : 2010 |
Genre | : |
ISBN | : |
Type II methanotrophic bacteria are superior to Type I methanotrophs in accumulating polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a biodegradable alternative to polypropylene and other petro-chemical plastics, under nutrient limiting conditions. We evaluated the growth of Type I and Type II methanotrophs in a 15.2-liter bench-scale fluidized bed reactor (FBR) over a 270-day period. The aim was to identify operational characteristics and selection pressures that would favor Type II over Type I methanotrophs. The results indicate that Type II methanotrophs can be grown in an FBR under the appropriate conditions and that such a method may be a viable means of producing large quantities of biomass for PHB production.