Coming up with a definitive name for this bacterium is difficult. It began with the name Alcaligenes eutrophus, then moved onto Ralstonia eutrophus, and finally Ralstonia metallidurans.
Many individuals have acknowledged the benefits that you receive from a compost pile. However, there are several things that will not degrade. One of which is styrofoam. There are plastics that can be degraded. PHA, for example, is the polymer of hydroxyalkanoates that is accumulated as a carbon and energy storage material in various microorganisms. PHA has been developed using the bacterium Alcaligenes eutrophus. A. eutrophus is used because of its ability to oxidize hydrogen gas for energy. It is a gram-negative, rod shaped bacterium. It thrives in the presence of toxic heavy metals. Two large megaplasmids carrying gene clusters that encode cation-efflux machinery spanning both bacterial membranes confer this heavy metal resistance.
A. eutrophus use a variety of substrates as its carbon source or it can grow chemolithotrophic using molecular hydrogen as the energy source and carbon dioxide as a carbon source. When nitrate is present A. eutropus can grow anaerobically.The reference stand, CH34, was first isolated from the sludge of a zinc decantation tank in Belgium in 1976. Most strains, however, can be found in sediments and soils with a high content of heavy metals from diverse geographical locations.
The recent concerns with the global environment have sparked an interest in biodegradable plastics. PHAs have been considered one of the most promising biodegradable plastics because of the similarities in physical properties to petrochemical plastics.
References:
The Microbial Zoo:
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/dlc-me/zoo/zdcmain.html#plasticeatingmicrobesMicrobial Genomics: Ralstonia Metallidurans Genome Project.
http://spider.jgi-psf.org/JGI_microbial/html/ralstonia/ralston_homepage.htmlAlcaligenes eutrophus Sequencing Project
http://www.genome.bnl.gov/Legacy/Projects/Alcaligenes/Use of Alcaligenes eutrophus
http://www.clt.astate.edu/dgilmore/Research%20students/use_of_alcaligenes_eutrophus.htm*Disclaimer - This report was written by a student participaring in a microbiology course at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. The accuracy of the contents of this report is not guaranteed and it is recommended that you seek additional sources of information to verify the contents.
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