BIOSYNTHESIS OF COPOLYMER POLY (3-HYDROXYBUTYRATE-CO-3-HYDROXYVALERATE) FROM PALM OIL AND N-PENTANOL IN A 10L BIOREACTOR

The production of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) copolymer, P (3HB-co-3HV) from palm oil and a second carbon source by using bacteria Erwinia sp. USMI-20 in a 10L bioreactor has been done. Fermentation process was conducted through a single stage batch cultivation method under aerobic condition at pH 7.0, incubation temperature of 30 oC, and an agitation rate of 200 rpm for 66 hours. The production of the biopolymer was done from an initial growth on palm oil with a subsequent single feeding of n-pentanol. In this case, n-pentanol was used as a second carbon source to introduce the mole fraction of the 3-hydroxyvalerate, 3HV unit. The characterization of the polymer production was supported cell growth, polymer compound content and therefore the mole fraction of the 3-hydroxyvalerate unit. From this study, the composition of the polyester was noted to vary during the cultivation period. The highest amount of 3HV unit in the polyester at 48 hours of cultivation was 20 mole percent, the maximum amount of polymer content at 62.37 weight percent, biomass of 4.8 g/l and the maximum specific growth rate and specific polymer production were 0.401 hr-1 and 0.047 hr-1 respectively