Bioconversion of Used Transformer Oil into Polyhydroxyalkanoates by Acinetobacter sp. Strain AAAID-1.5

In this research, the utilisation of used transformer oil (UTO) as carbon feedstock for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) was targeted; with a view to reducing the environmental challenges associated with the disposal of the used oil and provision of an alternative to non-biodegradable synthetic plastic. Acinetobacter sp. strain AAAID-1.5 is a PHA-producing bacterium recently isolated from a soil sample collected in Penang, Malaysia. The PHA-producing capability of this bacterium was assessed through laboratory experiments in a shake flask biosynthesis under controlled culture conditions. The effect of some biosynthesis factors on growth and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) accumulation was also investigated, the structural composition of the PHA produced by the organism was established, and the characteristics of the polymer were determined using standard analytical methods. The results indicated that the bacteria could effectively utilise UTO and produce PHA up to 34% of its cell dry weight. Analysis of the effect of some biosynthesis factors revealed that the concentration of carbon substrate, incubation time, the concentration of yeast extract and utilisation of additional carbon substrates could influence the growth and polymer accumulation in the test organism. Manipulation of culture conditions resulted in an enhanced accumulation of the PHA. The data obtained from GC-MS and NMR analyses indicated that the PHA produced might have been composed of 3-hydroxyoctadecanoate and 3-hydroxyhexadecanoate as the major monomers. The physicochemical analysis of a sample of the polymer revealed an amorphous elastomer with average molecular weight and polydispersity index (PDI) of 110 kDa and 2.01, respectively. The melting and thermal degradation temperatures were 88 °C and 268 °C, respectively. The findings of this work indicated that used transformer oil could be used as an alternative carbon substrate for PHA biosynthesis. Also, Acinetobacter sp. strain AAAID-1.5 could serve as an effective agent in the bioconversion of waste oils, especially UTO, to produce biodegradable plastics. These may undoubtedly provide a foundation for further exploration of UTO as an alternative carbon substrate in the biosynthesis of specific polyhydroxyalkanoates.