Effects Of Types Of Food Waste As Carbon Source On The Molecular Weight Distributions And Thermal Properties Of The Biopolymer (Polyhydroxybutyrate) Produced By Two Strains Of Microorganisms

摘要

Apart from their well-known biodegradability, several other characteristics of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), such as mechanical properties and processing properties, must be considered for applications. On the other hand, most of the useful mechanical properties of polymers depend on their molecular weights, and molecular weight of polymers is believed to be the most important factor affecting these properties. Mechanical properties of PHB decrease significantly below an average molecular weight of 400,000 g/mol, and the material is quite brittle below an average molecular weight of 200,000 g/mol. Food wastes, including food processing wastes, out-of-date and denatured food, and decayed food retain many useful nutrients. The potential production of biodegradable plastics, PHAs, from food waste or agricultural waste has been reported recently. In addition to being a good substrate for cell growth and to promote greater PHB yields, it is important to see if there is any effect of different food wastes on the physical properties of these polymers.