Monsanto Company

Devang T Shah

Jawed Asrar

Minhtien Tran

Timothy A Mitsky

Hydroxyterminated PHA is produced by cultivating a PHA-producing microorganism in the presence of an aliphatic diol or an aliphatic polyol. High molecular weight hydroxy-terminated PHA is obtainable by the disclosed process, and is useful in the production of graft, block and random polymers and copolymers with other monomers, oligomers and polymers containing appropriate functionality and end group compatibility. The hydroxyterminated PHAs of the invention display improved thermal stability compared with PHAs not modified to contain increased end-group hydroxyl content. In addition, a branched PHA structure is provided by melt processing polyol terminated PHA.

Hydroxy-terminated polyhydroxyalkanoates

Methods for the biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoate homopolymers and copolymers are described. In a preferred embodiment, the polymers have a single mode molecular weight distribution, and more preferably have a distribution of between about 2 and about 4, and most preferably about 2.1 or 2.5.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates of narrow molecular weight distribution prepared in transgenic plants

Hydroxyterminated PHA is produced by cultivating a PHA-producing microorganism in the presence of an aliphatic diol or an aliphatic polyol. High molecular weight hydroxy-terminated PHA is obtainable by the disclosed process, and is useful in the production of graft, block and random polymers and copolymers with other monomers, oligomers and polymers containing appropriate functionality and end group compatibility.

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Chesterfield, MO, United States of America

Devang T Shah