| One of the problems that society today faces is the contamination produced by solid wastes, among them, plastics. Landfills, incineration and recycling are alternatives used, but none has proven to be completely effective. The production of biodegradable polymers using bacteria has been studied lately. Previous studies have shown that extremely halophilic bacteria were capable of producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) under stress conditions; In this investigation three extremely halophilic bacteria isolated from the salterns of Cabo Rojo were studied. These bacteria [PR-3 (Halogeometricum borinquense), PR5, and PR13] were grown with the following carbon sources: aliphatic and halogenated compounds, sugars, glycerol, sodium and potassium citrate, and mosto. Studies that included growth curves, ultraviolet-visible, infrared, and nuclear magnetic resonance analvs1s, showed that these bacteria do not produce PHAs. On the other hand, the bacterium Haloferax mediterranei was studied under the same conditions of the native bacteria because there exists the possibility that it can produce PHAs of long chain. Preliminary results using gas chromatography techniques coupled with mass spectrometry suggest that this occurs. Therefore, it can he concluded that the extremely halophilic native bacteria do not produce PHAs and that the bacterium Haloferax mediterranei possibly produces the PHB-co-PHV plus other long chain copolymers. |
