Methylocystis parvus: genomics, engineering and sustainable PHB production

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Claxton Stevens, Benedict H. (2024) Methylocystis parvus: genomics, engineering and sustainable PHB production. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.

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Abstract

Methylocystis parvus OBBP is a gram-negative aerobic methanotroph of the phylum Alphaproteobacteria. The type species of its genus and type strain of its species. Methanotrophs are industrially relevant organisms defined by their ability to use methane as their sole carbon and energy source. Among many qualities M. parvus is capable of the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) which is biodegradable and if produced from biogas, is a bioplastic meaning it is produced from renewable biomass. PHB produced by methanotrophs thus has the potential to aid in the current climate crises of plastic waste and greenhouse gas emission fitting into a circular carbon economy.

Across this thesis this goal is developed towards first through genetics assembling a full genome of M. parvus OBBP and demonstrating CRISPR genetic editing in it. This forms the first published genetic editing in M. parvus. This is followed by chapters investigating PHB fermentation in methanotrophs particularly using real-world biogas comparing multiple strains and scaling production up to 1L fermentation bioreactors. A nanopore based 16S sequencing method for investigation of mixed culture fermentation species abundance is also demonstrated evaluating two PHB producing mixed cultures. Work in this thesis has contributed to three published papers which are included at the end.

Item Type: Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (PhD)
Supervisors: Zhang, Ying
Keywords: methanotrophs, CRISPR, genome editing, methane monooxygenase, genome sequencing, methanotrophy, Methylocystis species, Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate, PHB, Bioplastic, Biogas, gas fermentation
Subjects: Q Science > QR Microbiology > QR 75 Bacteria. Cyanobacteria
Faculties/Schools: UK Campuses > Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Life Sciences
Item ID: 77436
Depositing User: Claxton Stevens, Benedict
Date Deposited: 16 Jul 2024 04:40
Last Modified: 16 Jul 2024 04:40
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/77436

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