Polyhydroxyalkanoic acid compositions and methods for generating same

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to the microbial production of polyhydroxyalkanoic acids, or polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), from substrates which cannot be used as a source of carbon and/or energy for microbial growth or PHA synthesis and which have microbial and environmental toxicity. According to one embodiment of the invention, a process for the production of PHA is provided wherein an enzyme such as methane monooxygenase is used to convert volatile organic compounds into PHA through the use of microorganisms that are unable to use volatile organic compounds as a source of carbon for growth or PHA production.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A process for the production of a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) from one or more metabolically toxic and growth-inhibiting volatile organic compounds (VOCS), comprising:
 providing one or more non-methane VOCs;   providing one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms capable of oxidizing said one or more VOCs to produce an oxidized compound;   wherein said one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms do not use said one or more VOCs as a source of carbon or energy, and   wherein said one or more VOCs inhibits the growth of said one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms, and is thereby metabolically toxic;   providing one or more PHA-synthesizing microorganisms capable of incorporating a carbon contained within said oxidized compound into a PHA material;   providing a growth-culture medium that regulates the metabolism of said one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms and said one or more PHA-synthesizing microorganisms;   mutually-exposing said one or more VOCS, said one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms, and said growth-culture medium, thereby causing or allowing said one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms to convert said one or more VOCS into said oxidized compound;   contacting said oxidized compound with said PHA-synthesizing microorganisms; and   manipulating said growth-culture medium to cause or allow said one or more PHA-synthesizing microorganisms to use said carbon contained within said oxidized compound for the production of said PHA material, thereby using a metabolically toxic, growth-inhibiting VOC to produce said PHA material.