PRODUCTION AND OPTIMIZATION OF BIOPLASTIC FROM BACILLUS ISOLATED FROM ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLE

Biopolymers represent a major alternative to petroleum-derived plastics, with poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) being the most common. To reduce the cost of production and expand the use of such biopolymers, our research focused on identifying microorganisms with effective PHB-producing capabilities. Through standard microbiological procedures, we isolated six different samples and used Sudan Black B colony staining to determine their PHB-producing capabilities. The Crotonic acid method revealed a 90.1% yield of PHB in the sample. Biochemical, morphological, and molecular analyses - including 16S rRNA gene sequencing - confirmed the bacterium as Bacillus cereus. FTIR analysis was also used to confirm the polymer as PHB. Furthermore, the ability of Bacillus cereus to use various carbon sources, coupled with gentamycin encapsulated in PHB polymer sheets to effectively demonstrate its antimicrobial properties, and a cell viability analysis to show its biocompatibility, highlight this microorganism as an effective candidate for large-scale industrial production of bacterial polyhydroxybutyrate.