Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Bio-polyesters – Circular Materials for Sustainable Development and Growth

Achieving circularity in materials requires fundamental changes in the polymers we use today and the way they are produced. Functional polymeric materials from renewable feedstocks that do not conflict with food and animal feed, and their renewal through biodegradation under diverse environmental conditions as the desired end-of-life option indeed constitute a paradigm shift for today’s plastics industry. Considering the ever-in-creasing environmental problems associated with the disposal or incineration of fossil plastics, the increasing microplastic formation, food contamination, and rising atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, have made it clear that the time is ripe for alternative, inno-vative, and sustainable polymers with plastic-like properties. In this nexus, the present review shines new light on the benefits of biobased and, at the same time, biodegradable microbial polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolyesters. Special emphasis is dedicated to carbon recyclability through biodegradability and compostability of these fascinating natural materials, which are slowly but surely being commercialized as replacement for fossil plastics that are produced and disposed of in multi-million-ton scale annually, resulting in a growing environmental threat. This review highlights that end-of-life options of PHA are analogous or even superior to another well-known polymer from nature, cellulose, while PHA offer the additional attributes of plastics in use with tailor-made properties. Finally, the review demonstrates how PHA biopolyesters can contribute to reaching many of the heavily discussed and desired UN Sustainable Development Goals.

• Publication year

  2023

• Venue

  Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Quarterly

• Publication date

  2023-02-14

• Fields of study

  Not labeled

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.15255/cabeq.2022.2124
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Biopolyesters - Emerging and Major Products of Industrial Biotechnology

  2022cited by this paper
• Polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase (PhaC): The key enzyme for biopolyester synthesis

  2022cited by this paper
• Engineering an acetoacetyl-CoA reductase from Cupriavidus necator toward NADH preference under physiological conditions

  2022cited by this paper
• Degradation of P(3HB-co-4HB) Films in Simulated Body Fluids

  2022cited by this paper
• A New Wave of Industrialization of PHA Biopolyesters

  2022cited by this paper
• Discovery and quantification of plastic particle pollution in human blood.

  2022cited by this paper
• Sustainability Analysis of Bioethanol Production in Mexico by a Retrofitted Sugarcane Industry based on the Brazilian Expertise

  2021cited by this paper
• The global threat from plastic pollution

  2021cited by this paper
• Emergent Approaches to Efficient and Sustainable Polyhydroxyalkanoate Production

  2021cited by this paper
• Comparative analysis of various extraction processes based on economy, eco-friendly, purity and recovery of polyhydroxyalkanoate: A review.

  2021cited by this paper
• A Review of the Applications and Biodegradation of Polyhydroxyalkanoates and Poly(lactic acid) and Its Composites

  2021cited by this paper
• Placing nanoplastics in the context of global plastic pollution

  2021cited by this paper
• Microplastics in polar regions: An early warning to the world's pristine ecosystem.

  2021cited by this paper
• Lifetime Accumulation of Microplastic in Children and Adults

  2021cited by this paper
• Ideonella sakaiensis, PETase, and MHETase: From identification of microbial PET degradation to enzyme characterization.

  2021cited by this paper
• Biocompatibility of polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate films generated from Bacillus cereus MCCB 281 for medical applications.

  2021cited by this paper
• The underexplored role of diverse stress factors in microbial biopolymer synthesis.

  2021cited by this paper
• Plastic pollution: A focus on freshwater biodiversity

  2021cited by this paper
• Understanding plastic degradation and microplastic formation in the environment: A review.

  2021cited by this paper
• Microbial Synthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and Their Applications

  2021cited by this paper
• Reducing environmental plastic pollution by designing polymer materials for managed end-of-life

  2021cited by this paper
• Evidence of Microplastic Translocation in Wild-Caught Fish and Implications for Microplastic Accumulation Dynamics in Food Webs.

  2021cited by this paper
• Metabolomic profiling reveals the intestinal toxicity of different length of microplastic fibers on zebrafish (Danio rerio).

  2021cited by this paper
• Plastic pollution: When do we know enough?

  2021cited by this paper
• Development of ‘Lignin-First’ Approaches for the Valorization of Lignocellulosic Biomass

  2020cited by this paper
• Relation between Surface Area and Surface Potential Change during (co)Polyesters Degradation as Langmuir Monolayer

  2020cited by this paper
• Research progress of biodegradable materials in reducing environmental pollution

  2020cited by this paper
• From nanoplastic to microplastic: A bibliometric analysis on the presence of plastic particles in the environment.

  2020cited by this paper
• Polyhydroxyalkanoates – Linking Properties, Applications and End-of-life Options

  2020cited by this paper
• Current technologies for plastic waste treatment: A review

  2020cited by this paper
• The "quality" and "quantity" of microbial species drive the degradation of cellulose during composting.

  2020cited by this paper
• Global trends of ocean CO2 sink and ocean acidification: an observation-based reconstruction of surface ocean inorganic carbon variables

  2020cited by this paper
• Microplastics and associated contaminants in the aquatic environment: A review on their ecotoxicological effects, trophic transfer, and potential impacts to human health.

  2020cited by this paper
• Estimation of the mass of microplastics ingested - A pivotal first step towards human health risk assessment.

  2020cited by this paper
• Revised estimates of ocean-atmosphere CO2 flux are consistent with ocean carbon inventory

  2020cited by this paper
• A critical review of the overlooked challenge of determining micro-bioplastics in soil.

  2020cited by this paper
• Production, use, and fate of synthetic polymers

  2020cited by this paper
• Atmospheric transport and deposition of microplastics in a remote mountain catchment

  2019cited by this paper
• Microplastic ingestion by riverine macroinvertebrates.

  2019cited by this paper
• Evidence of microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils from sewage sludge disposal.

  2019cited by this paper
• Microplastic pollution in commercial salt for human consumption: A review

  2019cited by this paper
• Biodegradation of PET: Current Status and Application Aspects

  2019cited by this paper
• Human Consumption of Microplastics.

  2019cited by this paper
• Recent Advances in the Use of Polyhydroyalkanoates in Biomedicine

  2019cited by this paper
• Analysis of microplastics in water by micro-Raman spectroscopy: Release of plastic particles from different packaging into mineral water.

  2018cited by this paper
• Microplastic particles cause intestinal damage and other adverse effects in zebrafish Danio rerio and nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

  2018cited by this paper
• Light scattering on PHA granules protects bacterial cells against the harmful effects of UV radiation

  2018cited by this paper
• Biodegradation of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) Plastic under Anaerobic Sludge and Aerobic Seawater Conditions: Gas Evolution and Microbial Diversity.

  2018cited by this paper
• Amylases: Characteristics and industrial applications

  2017cited by this paper
• Hydrolysis and Biodegradation of Poly(lactic acid)

  2017cited by this paper
• Bacterial Production of Hydroxyalkanoates (PHA)

  2016cited by this paper
• Plastic waste in the marine environment: A review of sources, occurrence and effects.

  2016cited by this paper
• Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing

  2015cited by this paper
• Synthetic particles as contaminants in German beers

  2014cited by this paper
• New insights in the formation of polyhydroxyalkanoate granules (carbonosomes) and novel functions of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate).

  2014cited by this paper
• Expanding bioplastics production: sustainable business innovation in the chemical industry

  2013cited by this paper
• From bacteria to human: a journey into the world of chitinases.

  2013cited by this paper
• Microbial and Enzymatic Degradation of Wood and Wood Components

  2012cited by this paper
• Biodegradation behavior of PHAs with different chemical structures under controlled composting conditions

  2011cited by this paper
• A Review of J

  2010cited by this paper
• Comparison of a modified spectrophotometric and the pH-stat methods for determination of the degree of hydrolysis of whey proteins hydrolysed in a tangential-flow filter membrane reactor

  2009cited by this paper
• Biodegradability of Poly(hydroxyalkanoate) Materials

  2009cited by this paper
• Biological degradation of plastics: a comprehensive review.

  2008cited by this paper
• Biomedical applications of polyhydroxyalkanoates, an overview of animal testing and in vivo responses

  2006cited by this paper
• Biological degradation of synthetic polyesters—Enzymes as potential catalysts for polyester recycling

  2006cited by this paper
• Production and applications of esterases

  2005cited by this paper
• Enzymatic and non-enzymatic degradation of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) copolyesters produced by Alcaligenes sp. MT-16.

  2004cited by this paper
• The use of roughness for evaluating the biodegradation of poly-β-(hydroxybutyrate) and poly-β-(hydroxybutyrate-co-β- valerate)

  2004cited by this paper
• Biodegradability of cellulose fabrics

  2004cited by this paper
• Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Gelatin Layers on Used Lith Film Using Thermostable Alkaline Protease for Recovery of Silver and PET Film

  2004cited by this paper
• Applications of life cycle assessment to NatureWorks polylactide (PLA) production

  2003cited by this paper
• Microbial degradation of polyhydroxyalkanoates.

  2002cited by this paper
• Lipases as practical biocatalysts.

  2002cited by this paper
• Biodegradation and biological treatments of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin: an overview

  2002cited by this paper
• Integrated production of biodegradable plastic, sugar and ethanol

  2001cited by this paper
• Biodegradation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), Sky-Green® and Mater-Bi® by fungi isolated from soils

  2000cited by this paper
• Food applications of chitin and chitosans

  1999cited by this paper
• Chemistry and uses of pectin--a review.

  1997cited by this paper
• Diversity of bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoic acids

  1995cited by this paper
• Cellulose degradation in anaerobic environments.

  1995cited by this paper
• The biological degradation of cellulose.

  1994cited by this paper
• Materials derived from biomass/biodegradable materials.

  1992cited by this paper
• Synthesis and degradation of polyhydroxyalkanoates in Alcaligenes eutrophus

  1992cited by this paper
• Enzymatic degradation of microbial poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) films

  1992cited by this paper
• Microbial synthesis and characterization of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate)

  1992cited by this paper
• Production of biodegradable copolyesters of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 4-hydroxybutyrate by Alcaligenes eutrophus

  1989cited by this paper
• Plastics are forever

  1978cited by this paper

• Sustainable CO2 valorization for PHB production towards circular economy: metagenomic insights on enriched indigenous microbial cultures

  2026cites this paper
• Potential of Biodegradable Polyhydroxyalkanoates for the Construction of Sustainable Polymer Composite Materials

  2026cites this paper
• Advances in Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Production, Volume 4

  2026cites this paper
• A review on natural polymer-based film/coating in postharvest mushroom preservation

  2025cites this paper
• Sustainable polyhydroxyalkanoates in the bioeconomy: A review of recent advances in production innovations, economic feasibility, and patents landscape.

  2025cites this paper
• Polyhydroxyalkanoates for sustainable food packaging: A comprehensive review on production, applications, and end-of-life scenarios for food packaging

  2025cites this paper
• Bioplastics and biodegradable plastics: A review of recent advances, feasibility and cleaner production.

  2025cites this paper
• Carbon Recycling of High Value Bioplastics: A Route to a Zero-Waste Future

  2024cites this paper
• Biosynthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoates in Cupriavidus necator B-10646 on Saturated Fatty Acids

  2024cites this paper
• Critical review on unveiling the toxic and recalcitrant effects of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems and their degradation by microbes

  2024cites this paper
• Biodegradation of Polymeric Contact Lenses: A Comprehensive Review of Biological Activity

  2024cites this paper
• Effect of Monomers of 3-Hydroxyhexanoate on Properties of Copolymers Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate-co 3-Hydroxyhexanoate)

  2023cites this paper
• What Are “Bioplastics”? Defining Renewability, Biosynthesis, Biodegradability, and Biocompatibility

  2023cites this paper
• Properties of Degradable Polyhydroxyalkanoates Synthesized from New Waste Fish Oils (WFOs)

  2023cites this paper
• Current status and challenges in the application of microbial PHA particles

  2023cites this paper
• Is the gut microbiome of insects a potential source to meet UN sustainable development goals to eliminate plastic pollution?

  2023cites this paper
• A review on polyhydroxyalkanoates production from various organic waste streams: Feedstocks, strains, and production strategy

  2023cites this paper
• Editorial: Biodegradation of plastics

  2023cites this paper
• Microbial PolyHydroxyAlkanoate (PHA) Biopolymers—Intrinsically Natural

  2023influential citation