Enhanced Recovery and Purification of P(3HB-co-3HHx) from Recombinant Cupriavidus necator Using Alkaline Digestion Method

A simple, efficient and economical method for the recovery of P(3HB-co-3HHx) was developed using various chemicals and parameters. The initial content of P(3HB-co-3HHx) in bacterial cells was 50?C60?wt%, whereas the monomer composition of 3HHx used in this experiments was 3?C5?mol%. It was found that sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was the most effective chemical for the recovery of biodegradable polymer. High polyhydroxyalkanoate purity and recovery yield both in the range of 80?C90?wt% were obtained when 10?C30?mg/ml of cells were incubated in NaOH at the concentration of 0.1?M for 60?C180?min at 30?°C and polished using 20?% (v/v) of ethanol.