Polyhydroxybutyrate and glycogen production in photobioreactors inoculated with wastewater borne cyanobacteria monocultures

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the PHB and glycogen accumulation dynamics in two photobioreactors inoculated with different monocultures of wastewater-borne cyanobacteria, using a three-stage feeding strategy (growth phase, feast-famine phase and feast phase). Two cyanobacterial monocultures containing members of Synechocystis sp. or Synechococcus sp. were collected from treated wastewater and inoculated in lab-scale photobioreactors to evaluate the PHB and glycogen accumulation. A third photobioreactor with a complex microbial community grown in real wastewater was also set up. During each experimental phase different concentrations of inorganic carbon were applied to the cultures, these shifts allowed to discern the accumulation mechanism of carbon storage polymers (PHB and glycogen) in cyanobacteria. Conversion of one into the other was directly related to the carbon content. The highest PHB and glycogen contents (5.04%dcw and 69%dcw, respectively) were achieved for Synechocystis sp.