Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) represent an environmentally effective alternative to synthetic thermoplastics; however, current
production practices are not sustainable. In this study, PHA production was accomplished in sequencing batch bioreactors utilizing
real wastewaters and mixed microbial consortia from municipal activated sludge as inoculum. Polymer production reached 85,
53, and 10% of the cell dry weight from methanol-enriched pulp and paper mill foul condensate, fermented municipal primary
solids, and biodiesel wastewater, respectively. Using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of 16S-rDNA from polymerase
chain reaction-amplified DNA extracts, distinctly different communities were observed between and within wastewaters following
enrichment. Most importantly, functional stability was maintained despite differing and contrasting microbial populations.
Index Entries Activated sludge - denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis - polyhydroxyalkanoates - wastewater - primary solids fermentate - foul condensate - environmental biotechnology