Greener Technology of Producing Polyhydroxyalkanoate using Anthracene as Carbon Source

Abstract The study investigated the potential of Bacillus cereus AAR-1 (OQ999178) to simultaneously degrade anthracene, a toxic environmental pollutant, and produce polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), an eco-friendly and sustainable biopolymer. Using a Taguchi L16 (4*3) array for optimization, it was found that a 10% seed inoculum, grown for 8 days in a minimal salt medium containing 400 ppm of anthracene and 2 g/L of NH4Cl as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, maximized anthracene degradation and PHA accumulation by B. cereus AAR-1. The bacterial biomass had a colony count of 1 x 10 6 cfu/ml and produced 286 mg/L of biopolymer, as extracted using a hypochlorite-chloroform solvent method. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed the biopolymer as PHA. This study identifies a key hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium at a municipal dumpsite, which plays a significant role in environmental biotechnology by supporting cleaner and greener technologies. This contribution aligns with the goals of SDG 12 and 14.