Bacterial Biopolymers

Bolin Kumar Konwar, PhD, was Dean, School of Science and Technology and Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University (Central) India. He also headed the ONGC-sponsored Centre for Petroleum Biotechnology, DBT (Govt of India)-sponsored MSc biotechnology program, and the Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility (BIF). He was formerly the Vice Chancellor at Nagaland University (Central), Nagaland, India, and also served at Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, in several capacities in the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics. He was also a Senior Scientist and Head of Botany and Biotechnology at the Tocklai Experimental Station, Tea Research Association, Jorhat, Assam, India. A prolific author and researcher, Dr. Konwar has carried out research projects of national importance. He and his research group have to date deposited 11 gene (DNA) sequences in gene banks and have published over 200 research papers in international journals, seminars, and conference proceedings. He has written on popular science, environment, biotechnology, history, national integration, higher education, research needs, and more. Other books by Dr. Konwar are Lipase: An Industrial Enzyme through Metagenomics and Bacterial Biosurfactants: Isolation, Purification, Characterization, and Industrial Applications (Apple Academic Press); Prospects of Microbe and Medicinal Plant Resources; Medicinal Plant Repertoire: A Perspective of Biogeographical Gateway of India; as well as several published in the Assamese language.

1. Introduction 2. Biopolymers and Their Classification 3. Bacterial Polymers 4. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) 5. Classification of PHAs 6. Detection, Extraction, and Characterization of PHAs 7. Molecular Identification of Bacterial Isolates 8. The Fermentation Process 9. Structure and Properties of PHAs 10. Biochemical Characterization of the PHA-Producing Bacterial Strains 11. Application of PHAs 12. Biopolymer-Producing Bacteria and Genes 13. In Vitro Biodegradation Study of PHA Film by Soil Microorganisms 14. PHAs for Enhancing the Stability of Colloidal Silver Nanoparticles (SNP) 15. Conclusion