JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, cilt.93, sa.8, ss.2292-2298, 2018 (SCI-Expanded)
BACKGROUNDPolyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are natural biodegradable polymers synthesized by several microorganisms. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is the most well-characterized biopolymer produced abundantly by Bacillus species. In order to get a better PHA recovery, efficient pretreatment steps, especially dehydration, have a large impact on PHA purification from microbial PHA-rich biomass. In this study, we have described the effects of lyophilization (-L), microwave-assisted drying (-M) and ethanol/heat-treatment (-E) dehydration techniques on PHA production by B. megaterium NRRL B-14308 strain.