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Ultrasound‐Assisted Poly(3‐Hydroxybutyrate) Extraction from Cupriavidus necator KCTC 2649 Using Thymol–Decanoic Acid Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent
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Researchers used a plant-based solvent mixture (thymol and decanoic acid) combined with ultrasound to extract a biodegradable plastic, PHB, from bacteria called Cupriavidus necator. Adjusting the amount of bacteria, timing, and washing steps improved recovery to 68.42% and purity to 93.4%, producing material similar to commercial PHB.
ABSTRACT Polyhydroxyalkanoates are biodegradable plastics that offer a sustainable alternative to petroleum‐based plastics, which are associated with environmental persistence and microplastic‐related health risks. However, because polyhydroxyalkanoates are stored intracellularly, their recovery requires cell disruption and extraction processes that are often costly and traditionally rely on toxic solvents such as chloroform. This study evaluated the impacts of biomass loading and incubation time on the use of 1:1 thymol–decanoic acid natural deep eutectic solvent for poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) extraction from Cupriavidus necator KCTC 2649. Results showed that lower biomass loading resulted in higher poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) recovery, while incubation time had no significant effect. The best condition from the factorial experiment was obtained at 1% w/v biomass loading and 1 h incubation time, yielding a recovery of 17.41% w/w and a purity of 93.97% w/w. The application of 45 kHz power ultrasound at 100% during the first 30 min of incubation further increased the recovery to 68.42% w/w under the selected extraction conditions. A more stringent washing was also applied to improve purity from 60.80% to 93.4% w/w. Response surface methodology experiment revealed that the optimum region is located near 3% w/v biomass loading and 5 h incubation time. Overall, the 1:1 thymol–decanoic acid natural deep eutectic solvent‐based extraction protocol produced a high‐quality poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) powder with physicochemical characteristics comparable to those already available commercially.
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Researchers isolated bacteria capable of producing polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) — a biodegradable biopolymer that could substitute for conventional petroleum-based plastics — from wastewater sludge and cow dung. The most productive bacterial strain was identified as a new variant of Bacillus megaterium. Developing inexpensive microbial routes to biodegradable plastics from waste feedstocks could help reduce dependence on conventional plastics and lessen microplastic pollution.
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