Biodegradable Plastic from Wheat: Studies of PHB Production from A Wheat-Based Fermentation Feedstock

The unnerving price of petroleum will push a major change from a petroleum based economy to a natural feedstock based economy. Bestowed with all the essential nutrients necessary for microbial growth and being the predominant crop in the UK, wheat can be suitable candidate to provide this renewable feedstock. A process has been developed in the University of Manchester, UK, to convert the essential nutrients in wheat to a microbially accessible wheat based fermentation feedstock. At the same time, in response to the increasing concerns over the environment, the objective of this project is to establish a novel process to produce a biodegradable plastic, polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) from the wheat based fermentation feedstock.The technical feasibility of PHB production from the wheat based fermentation feedstock, has been demonstrated by the results presented in this book.