Recovery and reuse of propylene carbonate used in the process of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) extraction

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB)) extraction using toxic volatile solvents is contradictory to the idea of using this biopolymer to minimize environmental aggressions caused by petrochemical polymers. Propylene carbonate (PC) has low toxicity and high boiling point, which ensure a low risk of losses due to evaporation and high recovery performance, allowing for reuse. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of reusing PC recovered the process of extraction of P(3HB) produced by Cupriavidus necator on the performance and purity of the biopolymer and evaluate the amount of solvent loss during the stages of the extraction process. It was observed that 80% of PC could be recovered throughout the process. The recovered solvent was reused eleven times without losing its efficiency in terms of product performance and purity. Hence, the present study proposes to reuse PC in the process of P(3HB) extraction, thus contributing to reduce the costs for the production of this biopolymer.