Microbial Factories: Biodiversity, Biopolymers, Bioactive Molecules: Volume 2

360 Pages·2015·14.049 MB·English

by  Vipin Chandra Kalia (eds.)

Vipin Chandra Kalia Editor
Microbial
Factories
Biodiversity, Biopolymers, Bioactive Molecules:
Volume 2
Microbial Factories

Vipin Chandra K alia
Editor
Microbial Factories
Biodiversity, Biopolymers, Bioactive
Molecules: Volume 2
Editor
Vipin Chandra Kalia
Microbial Biotechnology and Genomics
CSIR- Institute of Genomics
and Integrative Biology
Delhi University Campus
Delhi , India
ISBN 978-81-322-2594-2 ISBN 978-81-322-2595-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-81-322-2595-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015957418
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Dedicated to my family and friends

Pref ace
H uman beings are an integral part of the environment. Biological activities
have a strong infl uence on physical and chemical components of the ecosys-
tem. Plants are the major contributors as producers of bioproducts, to be used
by animals and microbes. In the animal kingdom, human beings are the most
aggressive consumers, and their needs are increasing geometrically with
time. Unlike animals, human needs extend beyond food and shelter. The
innovative nature of man has led to discoveries and inventions, which appar-
ently are for the benefi t of human beings. However, these developments are a
big drain on the available natural resources with a cascade effect. At the base
of this chain reaction, the most adversely affected is the energy sector. The
demand for energy is increasing rapidly because of the needs and attitudes of
humans, who are thus transforming to a society of high-end consumers. Since
fossil fuels are the major source of energy, their consumption is the root cause
of irreparable damage to the environment. Another factor which adds to the
ever-increasing environmental pollution is the unmanageable quantities of
wastes. The conventional means of disposal of wastes and waste waters,
adopted in most parts of the world, pollutes the land, atmosphere, and the
water bodies. Here, we may need to approach the most effi cient organisms on
the planet Earth. These effi cient organisms are the microbes, which can
metabolize organic matter content of the biowastes, especially those pro-
duced due to human activities. These bioproducts are eco-friendly, biode-
gradable, and highly energy effi cient. Microbes can be exploited as factories
for producing energy (biofuels), biopolymers (bioplastics), and bioactive
molecules (antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, antioxidants, etc.). There
has been a vigorous scientifi c pursuit to exploit microbes for the welfare of
human beings. The most exciting are the possibilities of generating clean
fuels (biohydrogen, biodiesel, etc.) and biodegradable plastics as an alterna-
tive to nondegradable plastics. Apart from these, the most curiosity-driven
activities have been to learn about those microbes which are yet to be cul-
tured. During the last 2–3 decades, many scientifi c activities have been dem-
onstrated and published in scientifi c journals of repute; however, it is yet to
reach the curious young minds – the graduate and postgraduate students – of
our future scientists. This compilation, contributed by the experts in these
research domains, speaks a lot about the present status of microbial factories
and their future potential for the welfare of human beings. In principle,
experts exist in all domains; however, most of the times, they are too busy in
their pursuits to spare time for such activities. The young, curious, and tender
vii
viii Preface
minds are eager to learn, but those who know what and how to say do not get
the right platform and access. I am extremely thankful to all those who read-
ily agreed to share their expertise for the I gnited Minds , to whom the book is
dedicated. Although it is impossible to acknowledge the reality and true
worth of the efforts of the contributing authors, however, I am still indebted
to their prompt responses and dedicated efforts. My inspiration to learn
well and transmit the knowledge to the next generation burgeons from the
tireless efforts and constant support of my close ones – Mrs. Kanta Kalia and
Mr. R.B. Kalia (parents); Amita (wife); Sunita and Sangeeta (sisters); Ravi,
Vinod, and Satyendra (brothers); Daksh and Bhrigu (sons); and my teachers
and friends Rup, Hemant, Yogendra, Rakesh, Atya, Jyoti, Malabika, Neeru,
and Ritushree – to write this book. I must also acknowledge the selfl ess and
dedicated support of my next-generation colleagues – Prasun, Sanjay,
Subhasree, Shikha, Anjali, and Jyotsana.
Delhi, India Vipin Chandra Kalia
Contents
1 Biopolymers and Their Application
as Biodegradable Plastics ............................................................. 1
Scott Lambert
2 Approaches for the Synthesis
of Tailor-Made Polyhydroxyalkanoates ...................................... 11
Carlos F. Peña Malacara , Andrés García Romero ,
Modesto Millán Ponce , and Tania Castillo Marenco
3 Biodegradable Polymers: Renewable
Nature, Life Cycle, and Applications .......................................... 29
Manjusha Dake
4 Phylogenetic Affiliation of Pseudomonas sp. MO2, a Novel
Polyhydroxyalkanoate- Synthesizing Bacterium ........................ 57
Parveen Kumar Sharma , Jilagamazhi Fu , Xiang Zhang ,
Richard Sparling , and David B. Levin
5 Synthetic Biology Strategies
for Polyhydroxyalkanoate Synthesis ........................................... 79
Gunjan Arora , Andaleeb Sajid , Parijat Kundu ,
and Mritunjay Saxena
6 Frontiers in Biomedical Engineering:
PHA-Fabricated Implants ............................................................ 91
Lalit K. Singh , Neha Dhasmana , Shashank S. Kamble ,
Aditya K. Sharma , and Yogendra Singh
7 Sporulation, a Pitfall in the Path of PHB Production ................ 103
Neha Dhasmana , Lalit K. Singh , Shashank S. Kamble ,
Nishant Kumar , and Yogendra Singh
8 Microbial Biopolymers: The Exopolysaccharides ..................... 113
Angelina and S. V. N. Vijayendra
9 Innovations in Microalgal Harvesting
Using Biopolymer- Based Approach ............................................ 127
Chiranjib Banerjee , Rajib Bandopadhyay , Puneet Kumar Singh ,
Harsh Kumar Agrawal , and Pratyoosh Shukla
ix