Jae-Wook Myung

The first methanotrophic syntheses of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) that contain repeating units beyond 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyvalerate are reported. New PHAs synthesized by methanotrophs include poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB-co-4HB)), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-5-hydroxyvalerate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (P(3HB-co-5HV-co-3HV)), and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-6-hydroxyhexanoate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB-co-6HHx-co-4HB)). This was achieved from a pure culture of Methyloc

In the wake of plastic pollution increasing around the world, biodegradable plastics are one of the fastest-growing segments within the global plastics market. The biodegradation of these plastics depends on diverse factors including, but not limited to, the physicochemical structure of the materials, environmental conditions, and the microbial populations involved in the biodegradation. Although laboratory-based biodegradation tests simulate natural processes, they cannot precisely mimic the na

The coupled aerobic-anoxic nitrous decomposition operation is a new process for wastewater treatment that removes nitrogen from wastewater and recovers energy from the nitrogen in three steps: (1) NH4(+) oxidation to NO2(-), (2) NO2(-) reduction to N2O, and (3) N2O conversion to N2 with energy production. Here, we demonstrate that type II methanotrophic enrichments can mediate step two by coupling oxidation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB) to NO2(-) reduction. Enrichments grown with NH4(+) and

Thermoplastic blends are applied for three-dimensional (3D) printing to obtain improved functionality. While thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties of 3D-printed blends are typically examined, biodegradability of the 3D-printed plastics has rarely been the focus of research. In this study, we evaluated the biodegradation behavior of 3D-printed prototypes fabricated from various plastics and blends, including biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), non-biodegrada

The boric acid-crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol coating on paper remarkably improves barrier properties and mechanical robustness without compromising biodegradability and biocompatibility, a green advance in sustainable packaging.

Long-term operation of wastewater-fed, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with cathodes made of activated carbon and stainless steel (SS) current collectors can result in decreased performance due to cathode fouling.

Sepia melanin, a biopigment extracted from the ink sac of cuttlefish, is relevant to sustainable organic electronics. In this work, we flexographically print films from an ink of Sepia melanin including shellac as a bio-sourced binder on silver electrode-patterned paper. We examine the electrical response in high humidity and ambient conditions (here the electronic conductivity is as high as 10−4 S/cm). Additionally, we study the biodegradation of the printed films and their individual constitue