Energy Sources
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Issue: Volume 22, Number 9 / October 1, 2000
Pages: 781 - 807
URL: Linking Options
DOI: 10.1080/009083100300001609

Studies on Biotransformation of Calotropis Procera Latex - A
Renewable Source of Petroleum, Value-Added Chemicals, and Products


B. K. Behera, Mukta Arora, D. K. Sharma

Abstract:

Petroleum reserves of the world may not last forever. There is a need
to develop alternative and renewable sources of petroleum. Petrocrops
(wild and waste plants) are renewable sources of petroleum
hydrocarbons. Calotropis procera is one of the potential candidates
for petrofarming. The latex obtained from C. procera may be
hydrocracked to obtain hydrocarbons. This involves severe
thermochemical conditions. Biodegradation of latex may afford a
milder and less energy-intensive technique of latex degradation. In
the present work, the latex obtained from C. procera has been
subjected to microbial treatment using different fungi and bacteria.
The biotransformed and biodegraded latex showed enhancement in the
heptane extraction in comparison to that of untreated latex. The
biotransformed and biodegraded latex was subjected to 1H-NMR, 13C-
NMR, and FTIR spectral analysis. The latex was found to have
undergone demethylation, dehydrogenation, carboxylation, and
aromatization during microbial treatment. Average molecular weight of
the latex compounds was found to have decreased as a result of
microbial treatment. The biotransformed and biodegraded latex may be
hydrotreated to obtain petroleum and other value-added chemicals and
cleaner fuels.



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