Polyhydroxyalkanoic acid compositions and methods for generating same

A process for the production of a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) from one or more metabolically toxic and growth-inhibiting volatile organic compounds (VOCS), comprising:

• providing one or more non-methane VOCs;
• providing one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms capable of oxidizing said one or more VOCs to produce an oxidized compound;
• wherein said one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms do not use said one or more VOCs as a source of carbon or energy, and
• wherein said one or more VOCs inhibits the growth of said one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms, and is thereby metabolically toxic;
• providing one or more PHA-synthesizing microorganisms capable of incorporating a carbon contained within said oxidized compound into a PHA material;
• providing a growth-culture medium that regulates the metabolism of said one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms and said one or more PHA-synthesizing microorganisms;
• mutually-exposing said one or more VOCS, said one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms, and said growth-culture medium, thereby causing or allowing said one or more methane-oxidizing microorganisms to convert said one or more VOCS into said oxidized compound;
• contacting said oxidized compound with said PHA-synthesizing microorganisms;
• and
• manipulating said growth-culture medium to cause or allow said one or more PHA-synthesizing microorganisms to use said carbon contained within said oxidized compound for the production of said PHA material, thereby using a metabolically toxic, growth-inhibiting VOC to produce said PHA material.