Project Page Views: [ 627 ]
| Project Metadata Element | Details |
| Project Title | Investigation of Biodegradable Plastic Production by an Activated Sludge Microbial Consortium Treating Dairy Industry Wastewater. |
| Research Area | Sustainability |
| Project Acronym | |
| Principal Investigator or Lead Irish Partner | Niall O' Leary |
| Lead Institution or Organisation | University College Cork (UCC) |
| Lead Country | Ireland |
| Latitude, Longitude (of Lead Institution) | 51.89348, -8.49206 |
| Lead Funding Entity | Environmental Protection Agency |
| Approximate Project Start Date | |
| Approximate Project Finishing Date | |
| Project Website (if any) | |
| Links to other Web-based resources | |
| Project Keywords | Biodegradable polyesters; Wastewater; Dairy processing; Sludge microbes |
| Project Abstract | Polyhydroxyalkanoates, (PHAs), are biodegradable polyesters which are synthesised intracellularly by a number of microbial species when they encounter an excess of carbon substrate, offset by an inorganic nutrient limitation. The production of these "bioplastics" has received significant, global research interest as they offer a potential replacement polymer for environmentally recalcitrant petrochemical plastics. However, fermentation costs coupled with additional downstream processing have thus far hampered the economic competitiveness of PHAs produced from pure cultures. The use of mixed microbial cultures for PHA synthesis offers a possible solution as they can utilise a range of carbon substrates and do not require aseptic fermentation equipment/handling. The current research project seeks to investigate the potential for stable PHA accumulation by an enriched, activated sludge microbial consortium utilising dairy processing wastewater as feed stock. |