title: Production of poly(D-3-hydroxybutyrate) from CO(2), H(2), and O(2) by high cell density autotrophic cultivation of Alcaligenes eutrophus.
abstract: Hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium, Alcaligenes eutrophus autotrophically produces biodegradable plastic material, poly(D-3-hydroxybutyrate), P(3HB), from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen. In autotrophic cultivation of the microorganism, it is essential to eliminate possible occurrence of gas explosions from the fermentation process. We developed a bench-plant scale, recycled-gas, closed-circuit culture system equipped with several safety features to perform autotrophic cultivation of A. eutrophus by maintaining the oxygen concentration in the substrate gas phase below the lower limit for a gas explosion (6.9%). The culture vessel utilized a baskettype agitator, resulting in a K(L) a value of 2970 h(-1). Oxygen gas was also directly fed to the fermentor separately from the other gases. As a result, 91.3 g . dm(-3) of the cells and 61.9 g . dm(-3) of P(3HB) were obtained after 40 h of cultivation under this oxygen-limited condition. The results compared favorably with those reported for mass production of P(3HB) by heterotrophic fermentation. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Kyushu University, Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 872, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishizaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanamaru
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawano