Smuts said:
hi am magdy so please if you get any info. can you share it with me please bec. i have an assessgment too
am magdy? what does that mean? is that ur name?
anyway, the stuff i have on PHB:
produced by organism: alcaligenes eutrophus (A. eutrophus)
Development:
• Maurice Limoigne first produced PHB in 1925. PHB can be produced in a lab by feeding bacteria a diet rich in nutrients until large colonies form, and then withdrawing the glucose. The bacteria automatically start secreting PHB which provides them with an energy store.
• ICI, a British chemical company began growing large quantities of PHB with the bacterium known as Alcaligenes Eutrophus. This species can accumulate the polymer at up to 80% of its dry weight.
• In the 1980s, the three genes in Alcaligenes eutrophus needed for the production of PHB were successfully cloned and transferred into E.coli, a common bacterium which was well researched, reproduced quickly and had an easily manipulated physiology.
• Cargill Dow transported the PHB gene into corn and maize plants and allowed crops of PHB-producing plants to be grown and harvested.
Properties:
PHB has properties similar to polypropylene (which is used in the textiles industry): it is transparent, brittle, water-proof and lightweight, and would be suitable for bottles and other containers, and as a result it is widely used. Being a biopolymer, it is biodegradable; therefore it can be thrown out or buried without any environmental implications. Since PHB is non-toxic and can decompose in the body, it might also be used as medical sutures or for stabilisation of healing bones.
Evaluation:
PHB is more expensive to produce than petroleum-based polymers, which means research is slowed down. Whilst PHB wouldn’t have a market in areas where plastics should be non-biodegradable, such as piping, it would be potentially successful for use in plastic bags and containers. For research into PHB to be successful, PHB must be produced for less money than petroleum-based alternatives. Monsanto first put PHB on the shelves in the form of shampoo bottles but was unsuccessful due to the cost. Cost is still the major problem associated with the production of PHB. After being researched for over 20 years, the technology required to produce PHB is not a problem.
Impact on Society
- talk about the fact that it's biodegradable -- dogs etc won't chock and bateria and natural decomposers make sure it decomposes 100% over a short period of time
- produced from a renewable resource, as opposed to LDPE and HDPE which are produced from a non-renewable resource.
Current Research:
Cargill Dow are currently working on the biopolymer being produced by plants. This could well be the way of the future if they can produce something that is cost effective and maintain the useful properties of the compound.