Biosynthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) by Halogeometricum borinquense strain E3.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA's) can be a key solution for pollution problems caused by plastics derived from petrochemical sources. Extremely halophilic archaeon Halogeometricum borinquense strain E3 showed maximum PHA accumulation of 73.51 ±1.7% (wt/wt) of cell dry weight (CDW) with 2% glucose. The crotonic acid assay, XRD, FT-IR and (1)H NMR analysis revealed that the polymer was a co-polymer of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [P(HB-co-HV)] comprising of 21.47% HV units. This is the first report on P(HB-co-HV) production by an extremely halophilic archaeon Hgm. borinquense strain E3.