Screening for Biopolymer Producing Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixers from Western Ghats

PHB an eco-friendly substitute of the synthetic polymers and are considered to be the ideal material for making biodegradable plastics. They are outstanding as they can clear out the problem of environmental pollution. The study was aimed at screening out PHB producers from nitrogen fixing bacteria. The root nodules of leguminous plants were screened to isolate symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria Rhizobium. The isolates were screened for production of PHB by Sudan black staining method. Determination of the amount of PHB was done using sodium hypochlorite & Chloroform on a spectrophotometer, wavelength 235nm. The IR analysis of the compound was done in order to confirm the functional groups present in the extracted compound and was recorded in the range of 400 – 4000 cm⁻¹ and it showed the characteristic bands for the groups CH, C=O and C-O. The absorbance peaks values confirm the product as PHB.