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Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System MMC
Published on: February 18, 2022
Effect of Operational Conditions on the Behaviour and Associated Costs of Mixed Microbial Cultures for PHA Production
Francisco Cabrera1, Álvaro Torres2, José Luis Campos3
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidad de La Frontera, Av. Francisco Salazar 01145, Temuco 4780000, Chile. f.cabrera01@ufromail.cl.
Abstract:
Massive production and disposal of petrochemical derived plastics represent relevant environmental problems. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a renewable alternative that can even be produced from wastes. The production of PHA from acetate using mixed microbial cultures was studied. The effect of two key operational conditions was evaluated, i.e., substrate concentration and cycle length. The effects of these factors on several responses were studied using a surface response methodology. Several reactors were operated under selected conditions for at least 10 solids retention times to ensure stable operation. Results show that conditions providing higher PHA content involve lower biomass productivities. This has a great impact on biomass production costs. Results suggest then that PHA content alone may not be a reasonable criterion for determining optimal conditions for PHB production. If production costs need to be reduced, conditions that provide a lower PHA content in the selection reactor, but a higher biomass productivity may be of interest.
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