Study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material by microorganisms

This report serves to elaborate on Final Year Project EN-18 – Study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material by microorganisms. PHAs are biopolymers that can be used to produce materials, which can potentially replace petroleum-sy...

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Main Author: Teo, Khim Ying.
Other Authors: Wang Jing-Yuan
Format: Final Year Project
Language:English
Published: 2013
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Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10356/53847
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-538472023-03-03T17:07:09Z Study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material by microorganisms Teo, Khim Ying. Wang Jing-Yuan School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute DRNTU::Engineering::Environmental engineering::Waste management DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Microbiology::Bacteria This report serves to elaborate on Final Year Project EN-18 – Study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material by microorganisms. PHAs are biopolymers that can be used to produce materials, which can potentially replace petroleum-synthesized plastics. They are formed naturally in PHA-accumulating bacteria and can be biodegraded. Currently, the production of PHA is an expensive process in part due to the high cost of pure carbon substrates. The cost of PHA production can be potentially lowered if a cheaper alternative carbon source is used instead. Volatile fatty acids (VFAs), formed from anaerobic digestion of food waste after the acidogenesis stage, presents a low-cost carbon feedstock for PHA production. Thus, this project is lucrative as food waste can be up-recycled as inexpensive carbon source for lowering the cost of PHA production, and PHA in turn can solve the waste problems caused by existing petroleum-synthesized plastics. Pure bacterial cultures were isolated from waste activated sludge, and a mixture of primary sludge and waste activated sludge, all taken from Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation Plant. Sludge inoculums from wastewater plant were chosen because they have a high microbial diversity and are known to contain PHA-accumulating bacteria. There were 24 pure bacterial cultures isolated from the waste activated sludge, while 21 pure bacterial cultures were isolated from the waste activated sludge and primary sludge mixture. Of which, 10 and 13 putative PHA-accumulating bacteria have been identified from the mixture of primary sludge and waste activated sludge, and waste activated sludge, respectively. The identification was done through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) gene detection of a gene encoding for the PHA synthase enzyme known as phaC, using primers specific for phaC gene. Total genomic DNA extractions of the putative PHA-accumulating bacteria were also performed, followed by 16S rRNA genetic identification. This report has 5 chapters. Chapter 1 presents a brief introduction of the project. Chapter 2 presents a literature review of theory and previous work done on similar experiments. Chapter 3 details the materials and methodologies used in this study while Chapter 4 presents the results and discussion. Chapter 5 concludes with recommendations for future experiments. Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental Engineering) 2013-06-07T08:29:05Z 2013-06-07T08:29:05Z 2013 2013 Final Year Project (FYP) http://hdl.handle.net/10356/53847 en Nanyang Technological University 46 p. application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider NTU Library
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic DRNTU::Engineering::Environmental engineering::Waste management
DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Microbiology::Bacteria
spellingShingle DRNTU::Engineering::Environmental engineering::Waste management
DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Microbiology::Bacteria
Teo, Khim Ying.
Study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material by microorganisms
description This report serves to elaborate on Final Year Project EN-18 – Study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material by microorganisms. PHAs are biopolymers that can be used to produce materials, which can potentially replace petroleum-synthesized plastics. They are formed naturally in PHA-accumulating bacteria and can be biodegraded. Currently, the production of PHA is an expensive process in part due to the high cost of pure carbon substrates. The cost of PHA production can be potentially lowered if a cheaper alternative carbon source is used instead. Volatile fatty acids (VFAs), formed from anaerobic digestion of food waste after the acidogenesis stage, presents a low-cost carbon feedstock for PHA production. Thus, this project is lucrative as food waste can be up-recycled as inexpensive carbon source for lowering the cost of PHA production, and PHA in turn can solve the waste problems caused by existing petroleum-synthesized plastics. Pure bacterial cultures were isolated from waste activated sludge, and a mixture of primary sludge and waste activated sludge, all taken from Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation Plant. Sludge inoculums from wastewater plant were chosen because they have a high microbial diversity and are known to contain PHA-accumulating bacteria. There were 24 pure bacterial cultures isolated from the waste activated sludge, while 21 pure bacterial cultures were isolated from the waste activated sludge and primary sludge mixture. Of which, 10 and 13 putative PHA-accumulating bacteria have been identified from the mixture of primary sludge and waste activated sludge, and waste activated sludge, respectively. The identification was done through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) gene detection of a gene encoding for the PHA synthase enzyme known as phaC, using primers specific for phaC gene. Total genomic DNA extractions of the putative PHA-accumulating bacteria were also performed, followed by 16S rRNA genetic identification. This report has 5 chapters. Chapter 1 presents a brief introduction of the project. Chapter 2 presents a literature review of theory and previous work done on similar experiments. Chapter 3 details the materials and methodologies used in this study while Chapter 4 presents the results and discussion. Chapter 5 concludes with recommendations for future experiments.
author2 Wang Jing-Yuan
author_facet Wang Jing-Yuan
Teo, Khim Ying.
format Final Year Project
author Teo, Khim Ying.
author_sort Teo, Khim Ying.
title Study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material by microorganisms
title_short Study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material by microorganisms
title_full Study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material by microorganisms
title_fullStr Study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material by microorganisms
title_full_unstemmed Study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (VFA) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material by microorganisms
title_sort study of the bioconversion of volatile fatty acids (vfa) to biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (pha) material by microorganisms
publishDate 2013
url http://hdl.handle.net/10356/53847
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