Selective Growth of Type II Methanotrophic Bacteria in a Biological Fluidized Bed Reactor

Download or read book Selective Growth of Type II Methanotrophic Bacteria in a Biological Fluidized Bed Reactor written by Andrew Ross Pfluger and published by Stanford University. This book was released on 2010 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Type II methanotrophic bacteria are superior to Type I methanotrophs in accumulating polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a biodegradable alternative to polypropylene and other petro-chemical plastics, under nutrient limiting conditions. We evaluated the growth of Type I and Type II methanotrophs in a 15.2-liter bench-scale fluidized bed reactor (FBR) over a 270-day period. The aim was to identify operational characteristics and selection pressures that would favor Type II over Type I methanotrophs. The results indicate that Type II methanotrophs can be grown in an FBR under the appropriate conditions and that such a method may be a viable means of producing large quantities of biomass for PHB production.