Separation of poly-.beta.-hydroxyalkanoic acid from microbial biomass
US5110980A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 20, 1989 |
| Grant date | May 5, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 20, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC12P7/625
- WIPO fieldBiotechnology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Hypochlorite digestion of bacterial biomass to recover intracellular poly-.beta.-hydroxylalkanoic acid (PHA) has not been used on a large scale since it has been widely reported to severely degrade the polymer. The process of the invention proposes to optimize the initial biomass concentration, the digestion time and pH of the hypochlorite solution to minimize degradation. Consequently, PHA of up to 95% purity with an average molecular weight of 600,000 can be recovered from biomass initially containing PHA having a molecular weight of 1,200,000. By incorporating a pretreatment step with an anionic surfactant solution, PHA of 99% purity with a molecular weight of 1.20.times.10.sup.6 was obtained from biomass containing 57% PHA by weight with an initial molecular weight of 1.25.times.10.sup.6.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.