Isolation, Screening, and Characterization of PHA-Producing Bacteria from Dumpsite Fadama Soil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56532/mjsat.v6i2.660Keywords:
Polyhydroxyalkanoates, Fadama soil, Bacillus subtilis, Priestia megaterium, Bioplastic productionAbstract
The growing environmental burden caused by persistent petroleum-based plastics has intensified the search for biodegradable alternatives such as polyhydroxyalkanoates, which are microbially synthesized biopolymers with promising industrial applications. This study focused on isolating and screening efficient polyhydroxyalkanoate-producing bacteria from dumpsite fadama soil and evaluating their potential to accumulate bioplastics. Bacteria were isolated from soil samples and screened for PHA accumulation using Sudan Black B and Nile Blue staining and UV fluorescence microscopy. The competent isolates were subjected to morphological, biochemical, and molecular 16S rRNA) identification. A total of 112 isolates were recovered, of which 59 showed positive Sudan Black B staining. Subsequent Nile Blue screening identified eight potential producers, and three isolates demonstrated strong fluorescence, indicating high intracellular polymer accumulation. Molecular identification using partial 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing revealed the isolates as Shigella flexneri SMI1, Priestia megaterium SMI2, and Bacillus subtilis SMI3. The sequences were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers PX567900, PX567901, and PX567902, respectively. These species, particularly Bacillus subtilis and Priestia megaterium, exhibited strong traits associated with polyhydroxyalkanoate biosynthesis and accumulation. The findings highlight dumpsite fadama soil as a rich source of metabolically versatile microorganisms with the capacity for efficient intracellular biopolymer biosynthesis. This work provides a foundation for further optimization of culture conditions and bioprocess scale-up to support sustainable bioplastic production.
References
K. Verma, S. Balbudhe, R. Dhodapkar, and D. Khan, “Towards a greener future: Exploring bioplastics environmental impact and biodegradability,” Waste and Biomass Valorization, pp. 1–21, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-025-03248-6.
C. Kourmentza et al., “Recent Advances and Challenges towards Sustainable Polyhydroxyalkanoate ( PHA ) Production,” Bioeng. MDPI AG., pp. 1–43, 2017, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering4020055.
I. Mutiara, N. Razaad, Y. Li, L. Zhao, Y. Mo, and J. Wang, “Start a Research on Biopolymer Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA): A Review,” pp. 706–754, 2014, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym6030706.
J. M. Ciesielska, K. Moraczewski, S. Czaplicki, and V. Singh, “Production and characterization of polyhydroxyalkanoates by Halomonas alkaliantarctica utilizing dairy waste as feedstock,” Sci. Rep., pp. 1–11, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-47489-8.
S. González-Rojo, A. I. Paniagua-García, and R. Díez-Antolínez, “Advances in microbial biotechnology for sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics: a comprehensive review of polyhydroxyalkanoate production,” Microorganisms, vol. 12, no. 8, p. 1668, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12081668.
S. U. Jayalath and A. P. de Alwis, “PHA, the Greenest Plastic So Far: Advancing Microbial Synthesis, Recovery, and Sustainable Applications for Circularity,” ACS omega, vol. 10, no. 30, pp. 32564–32586, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.5c00684.
M. Arriaga et al., “Valorization of Agri-Food Waste into PHA and Bioplastics: From Waste Selection to Transformation,” Appl. Sci., vol. 15, no. 3, p. 1008, 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031008.
V. V. Andhalkar, R. Ahorsu, P. Domínguez de María, J. Winterburn, F. Medina, and M. Constantí, “Valorization of lignocellulose by producing polyhydroxyalkanoates under circular bioeconomy premises: facts and challenges,” ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng., vol. 10, no. 50, pp. 16459–16475, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c04925.
K. S. Adamu and A. Bukar, “Production of biodegradeable plastic by Bacillus sp. using sugarcane baggase,” Bayero J. Pure Appl. Sci., vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 180–186, 2022.
A. Muthukumar and S. Veerappapillai, “Biodegradation of Plastics – A Brief Review,” vol. 31, no. 36, pp. 204–209, 2015.
S. Munir, “Polyhydroxyalkanoates ( PHA ) production in bacterial co-culture using glucose and volatile fatty acids as carbon source,” no. May 2017, pp. 1–8, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/jobm.201700276.
S. Pradhan, P. K. Dikshit, and V. S. Moholkar, “Production, characterization, and applications of biodegradable polymer: Polyhydroxyalkanoates,” in Advances in Sustainable Polymers: Synthesis, Fabrication and Characterization, Springer, 2020, pp. 51–94, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1251-3_4.
T. O. Fadipe, N. Jamil, and A. K. Lawal, “Biosynthesis and characterization of poly-(3)-hydroxyalkanoic acid by Bacillus megaterium SF4 using different carbohydrates,” in Microbial Polymers: Applications and Ecological Perspectives, Springer, 2021, pp. 109–129, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0045-6_5.
O. A. Oyewole et al., “Production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (pha) by pseudomonas aeruginosa (ol405443) using agrowastes as carbon source,” Clean. Mater., vol. 11, p. 100217, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clema.2024.100217.
A. Aragosa, V. Specchia, and M. Frigione, “Isolation of two bacterial species from argan soil in morocco associated with polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) accumulation: Current potential and future prospects for the bio-based polymer production,” Polymers (Basel)., vol. 13, no. 11, p. 1870, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13111870.
M. Chesbrough, “District laboratory practice in tropical countries. 2nd,” New York Trop. Heal. Technol., 2005.
M. O. Fawole and B. A. Oso, “Laboratory manual of microbiology,” Spectr. B. Ltd., Ibadan, Niger. 127pp. ISBN, pp. 13–978, 2007.
T. Maniatis and E. F. Fritsch, “Sambrook J (1982) Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual,” Cold Spring Harb. Lab. Cold Spring Harb. NY, 1982.
D. Shehu et al., “Isolation and Molecular Characterisation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Degrading Bacteria from Petrochemical Contaminated Soil,” Malaysian J. Appl. Sci., vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 1–12, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.37231/myjas.2023.8.2.349.
J. B. Muhammad, Y. G. Muhammed, and D. Shehu, “Achromobacter sp. Strain BUK ˍ BCH ˍ TQ1: A Potential Paraquat-Degrading Bacterium Isolated from Pesticide Contaminated Agricultural Soil,” no. November, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.56532/mjsat.v3i4.205.
S. Kumar, G. Stecher, M. Suleski, M. Sanderford, S. Sharma, and K. Tamura, “MEGA12: Molecular Evolutionary Genetic Analysis version 12 for adaptive and green computing,” Mol. Biol. Evol., vol. 41, no. 12, p. msae263, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msae263.
K. Tamura, J. Dudley, M. Nei, and S. Kumar, “MEGA4: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis (MEGA) software version 4.0,” Mol. Biol. Evol., vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 1596–1599, 2007, doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msm092.
A. Getachew and F. Woldesenbet, “Production of biodegradable plastic by polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) accumulating bacteria using low cost agricultural waste material,” BMC Res. Notes, vol. 9, no. 1, p. 509, 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-016-2321-y.
B. Kunasundari and K. Sudesh, “Isolation and recovery of microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates. Express Polym Lett 5: 620–634,” View Artic., 2011, doi: https://doi.org/10.3144/expresspolymlett.2011.60.
D. Vicente, D. N. Proença, and P. V Morais, “The role of bacterial polyhydroalkanoate (PHA) in a sustainable future: a review on the biological diversity,” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, vol. 20, no. 4, p. 2959, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042959.
A. K. Bhuwal, G. Singh, N. K. Aggarwal, V. Goyal, and A. Yadav, “Isolation and screening of polyhydroxyalkanoates producing bacteria from pulp, paper, and cardboard industry wastes,” Int. J. Biomater., vol. 2013, no. 1, p. 752821, 2013, doi: https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/752821.
T. D. Patil et al., “Production, optimization, scale up and characterization of polyhydoxyalkanoates copolymers utilizing dairy processing waste,” Sci. Rep., vol. 14, no. 1, p. 1620, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52098-0.
W. G. Birolli, R. N. Lima, and A. L. M. Porto, “Applications of marine-derived microorganisms and their enzymes in biocatalysis and biotransformation, the underexplored potentials,” Front. Microbiol., vol. 10, p. 1453, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01453.
D. Kolibachuk et al., “Using runaway replication to express polyhydroxyalkanoic acid (pha) genes from a novel marine bacterium in enteric bacteria: The influence of temperature and phasins on PHA accumulation,” PLoS One, vol. 17, no. 12, p. e0275597, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275597.
R. M. Sivashankari et al., “Exploring Class I polyhydroxyalkanoate synthases with broad substrate specificity for polymerization of structurally diverse monomer units,” Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., vol. 11, p. 1114946, 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1114946.
X. Xie and T. Cui, “The Application of an Effective Microbial Fermentation Product as a Biostimulant in the Bioremediation of Soil Contaminated with Benzo [ a ] pyrene,” 2025, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation11020076.
N. Iftikhar, “Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates ( pha ) by bacillus and pseudomonas on Cheap Carbon Substrates,” vol. 67, pp. 1–13, 2024.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sa'adatu Mukhtar Ismail, Aminu Bukar, Sani Yahaya, A.M Magashi, Baita Nafisa, Yusuf Saadatu Abba, Salisu Nainna Zainab
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
