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Extraction of short-chain-length poly-[(R)-hydroxyalkanoates] (scl-PHA) by the “anti-solvent” acetone under elevated temperature and pressure

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Abstract

A novel method was developed for extraction of short-chain-length poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (scl-PHA) from microbial biomass by the well-known “scl-PHA anti-solvent” acetone at elevated temperature and pressure in a closed system combining components for extraction, filtration, and product work-up. Recovery of scl-PHA using this new approach was compared with established methods using chloroform at ambient pressure. The new method performs similar regarding product purity (98.4 vs. 97.7 %) and extraction yield (96.8 % by both methods), and is by far faster than established chloroform extraction (20 min vs. 12 h). Separation of the polymer from acetone is simply achieved by cooling down the acetone solution of scl-PHA, thus allows for a nearly quantitative recovery of the solvent that conveniently can be reused. Characterization of scl-PHA extracted by both methods does not reveal any significant difference in terms of molar mass and thermo analytical parameters.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the European Commission by granting the 5th Framework Program “Dairy industry waste as source for sustainable polymeric material production” (WHEYPOL; Growth EC-Project GRD2-2000-30385), and the industrial partner BDI - BioEnergy International AG (Austria) by financing the project “Biodiesel als umweltfreundlicher Lösungsmittelersatz bei der Produktion von biologisch abbaubaren Kunststoffen”. The authors are grateful to the workshop of the Institute of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering at Graz University of Technology, Austria, for designing and constructing the apparatus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 12, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Martin Koller, Rodolfo Bona & Gerhart Braunegg

  2. ARENA Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Ressourcenschonende & Nachhaltige Technologien, Inffeldgasse 23, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Martin Koller & Gerhart Braunegg

  3. Department of Chemistry & Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Via Risorgimento, 35, 56126, Pisa, Italy

    Emo Chiellini

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  1. Martin Koller
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  2. Rodolfo Bona
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  3. Emo Chiellini
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  4. Gerhart Braunegg
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Correspondence to Martin Koller.

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Koller, M., Bona, R., Chiellini, E. et al. Extraction of short-chain-length poly-[(R)-hydroxyalkanoates] (scl-PHA) by the “anti-solvent” acetone under elevated temperature and pressure. Biotechnol Lett 35, 1023–1028 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-013-1185-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-013-1185-7

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