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Published on: July 10, 2015
Transient concentrations of NaCl affect the PHA accumulation in mixed microbial culture
T Palmeiro-Sánchez1, A Fra-Vázquez1, N Rey-Martínez1
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, Rúa Lope Gómez de Marzoa, s/n., E-15705 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Abstract:
The present study explores the feasibility of the accumulation of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) under the presence of transient concentrations of added sodium chloride, by means of a mixed microbial culture (MMC). This culture was enriched on a mixture of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) containing 0.8g Na(+)/L as NaOH. This MMC presented a maximum PHA accumulation capacity of 53wt% with 27Cmol% HV. Accumulation experiments performed with added NaCl at concentrations of 7, 13 and 20g/L shown that this salt provoked a decrease of the biomass PHA production rate, with an IC50 value close to 7gNaCl/L. The accumulated PHA was lower than the corresponding value of the assay without the addition of salt. Furthermore, the composition of the biopolymer, in terms of HB:HV ratio, changed from 2.71 to 6.37Cmol/Cmol, which means a HV decrease between 27 and 14Cmol%. Summarizing, the PHA accumulation by a MMC non-adapted to saline conditions affected the polymer composition and lead to lower production yields and rates than in absence of added NaCl.
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