Study of Biodegradable Polyesters from Algal Sources for Use in Future Textile Fiber Applications

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a family of linear biodegradable thermoplastic polyesters that are synthesized in nature by bacterial fermentation. Their formation is triggered by a deficiency of nutrients and an excess supply of carbon sources. Despite the high yield of PHAs via bacterial fermentation, it is not an economically viable route. To reduce the cost, photoautotrophic production is thought to be a desired route. Cyanobacteria are one of the only prokaryotic species that naturally produces PHAs (under stress conditions) by photosynthesis. The current study describes the mixotrophic biosynthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) in cyanobacteria (blue green algae) Nostoc muscorum followed by polymer extraction. The extracted polymers (in the fiber/yarn form) may have uses in various textile-related medical applications such as tissue scaffolds, sutures threads, and surgical meshes.