Production and characterization of thermostable polyhydroxybutyrate from Bacillus cereus PW3A

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are biodegradable, linear polyesters produced primarily by bacteria. Present study reports production and characterization of polyhydroxybutyrate from Bacillus cereus isolated from polluted water sample. The study investigated effect of carbon & nitrogen sources and process parameters like incubation time, pH and temperature. The polyhydroxybutyrate was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Crystallography (XRD) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies. Diffraction Scanning Colorimetry (DSC) and Thermo gravimetric Analysis (TGA) provided thermal properties of the polymer.  The study demonstrated the thermal stability of the polymer compared to the commercially available PHB suggesting its unique application.