Novel Biodegradable Microbial Polymers

The NATO Advanced Research Workshop from which this book derives was conceived during Biotec-88, the Second Spanish Conference on Biotechnology, held at Barcelona in June 1988. The President of the Conference, Dr. Ricardo Guerrero, had arranged sessions on bacterial polymers which included lectures by five invited participants who, together with Dr. Guerrero, became the Organizing Committee for a projected meeting that would focus attention upon the increasing international importance of novel biodegradable polymers. The proposal found favour with the NATO Science Committee and, with Dr. R. Clinton Fuller and Dr. Robert W. Lenz as the co-Directors, Dr. Edwin A. Dawes as the Proceedings Editor, and Dr. Hans G. Schlegel, Dr. Alexander J.B. Zehnder and Dr. Ricardo Guerrero as members of the Organizing Committee, the meeting quickly took shape. To Dr. Guerrero we owe the happy choice of Sitges for the venue, a pleasant coastal resort 36 kilometres from Barcelona, which proved ideal. The sessions were held at the Palau de Maricel in appropriately impressive surroundings, and invaluable local support was provided by Mr. Jordi Mas-Castella and by Ms. Merce Piqueras. Much of the preparatory work fell upon the broad shoulders of Mr. Edward Knee, whose efforts are deeply appreciated. The Organizing Committee hopes that this Workshop will prove to be the first of a series which will aim to keep abreast of a rapidly expanding and exciting area of research that is highly relevant to environmental and industrial interests.

Opening Lecture.- Novel Microbial Polymers: an Introductory Overview.- Polyesters I: Polymer Characteristics and Properties.- Bacterial Polyesters: Past, Present and Future.- Functionalized Poly-?-hydroxyalkanoates Produced by Bacteria.- Production of Biodegradable Copolyesters by Alcaligenes eutrophus.- Microstructure of Bacterial Poly(?-hydroxybutyrate-co-?-hydroxyvalerate) by Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometry Analysis of their Partial Degradation Products.- Pilot Scale Production of PHB with Alcaligenes latus.- Polyesters II: Polymer Production — Properties.- Culture Substrate Effect in the Production of Poly(?-hydroxybutyrate) by Rhizobium “hedysari”.- Physical Properties of Poly(hydroxybutyrate) and Poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate).- Properties of Poly-?-hydroxyalkanoate Latex: Nascent Morphology, Film Formation and Surface Chemistry.- Industrial Production of Copolymer from Alcaligenes eutrophus.- The Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates from Unrelated Carbon Sources.- Polyesters III: Molecular Biology and Enzymology.- Alcaligenes eutrophus and its Scientific and Industrial Career.- Genetic and Molecular Analysis of the Alcaligenes eutrophus Polyhydroxyalkanoate — Biosynthetic Genes and Accumulation of PHA in Recombinant Bacteria.- Bacterial Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates).- Molecular Characterization of the Poly-?-hydroxybutyrate Biosynthetic Pathway of Alcaligenes eutrophus H16.- PHB: A Model System for Biopolymer Engineering II.- Polyphosphates.- Some Possible Roles of Polyphosphate in Microorganisms.- Purification of Polyphosphate Glucokinase from Propionibacterium shermanii.- The Physiological Role of Inorganic Polyphosphates in Microorganisms: Some Evolutionary Aspects.- Accumulation of Polyphosphate by Acinetobacter sp.: Physiology, Ecology, and Application.- Natural Distribution of Microbial Polymers and Sulfur.- Environmental Control of Sulfur Deposition in Anoxygenic Purple and Green Sulfur Bacteria.- Polyhydroxyalkanoate Accumulation in Planktonic and Anaerobic Environments.- Polysaccharides I.- Solution and Gelling Properties of Microbial Polysaccharides of Industrial Interest: the Case of Gellan.- Genetic Analyses and Manipulations of Rhizobium meliloti Exopolysaccharides.- A Novel Exopolysaccharide from a Filamentous Cyanobacterium: Production, Chemical Characterization and Rheological Properties.- Physiology of Exopolysaccharide Production.- Polysaccharides II.- Structural Diversity and Functional Versatility of Polysaccharides.- Relation Between Molecular Structure and Physicochemical Properties for Some Microbial Polysaccharides.- Structure of Microbial Polysaccharides using X-Ray Diffraction.- Recent Developments in Rhizobium Polysaccharides.- Panel Discussion.- University, Industry and Government: Future Directions and Priorities in Research and Development — Panel Discussion.- Posters Polyhydroxyalkanoates.- Poly(malic acid), a Functional Poly(?-hydroxy acid)-type Polyester Available from Chemical and Biological Synthesis.- The Degradation of Shampoo Bottles in a Lake.- Production of Poly-?-hydroxybutyrate by Azotobacter vinelandii UWD in Beet Molasses Culture at High Aeration.- Halobacteria as Producers of Poly-?-hydroxyalkanoates.- Acetone as a Substrate for Poly-?-hydroxybutyrate Production by Phototrophic Purple Bacteria.- Poly-?-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Accumulation in Rhizobium meliloti Affected in the Dicarboxylate Transport (DCT) Genes.- Occurrence and Role of Poly-hydroxy-alkanoate in the Cyanobacterium Oscillatoria limosa.- Influence of Growth Conditions on Production and Composition of PHA by Pseudomonas oleovorans.- Production of Poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates by P. putida during Growth on Long-chain Fatty Acids.- Formation of poly-3-hydroxyalkanoates) by wild type and recombinant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other fluorescent pseudomonads.- Molecular analysis of the Alcaligenes eutrophus PHB-biosynthetic genes: identification of the NH2-terminus of PHB synthase and identification of the transcription start site of phbC..- Yield Study of the Poly-beta-hydroxyalkanoate) Produced by Pseudomonas oleovorans grown on Sodium Octanoate.- Genetic Analysis of Polyester Synthesis in Pseudomonas oleovorans.- Production and Characterization of Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates).- Poly(Glutamic Acid).- Poly(glutamic acid) Produced by Bacterial Fermentation.- Polysaccharides.- Role of Counterions on Gellan Properties.- Polysaccharides, Modified Polysaccharides and Polysaccharide Blends for Biodegradable Materials.- Degradation Kinetics of Polymer Films in Marine and Soil Systems under Accelerated Conditions.- Bioconversion of Pentosans to Heteropolysaccharides.