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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Prospective LCA to provide environmental guidance for developing waste-to-PHA biorefineries
ClearEnvironmental life cycle assessment of polyhydroxyalkanoates production by purple phototrophic bacteria mixed cultures
A life cycle assessment of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastic production using purple phototrophic bacteria and municipal organic waste found that the photobiorefinery process dominates environmental impacts due to energy use and chemical inputs, but showed net carbon and fossil resource benefits compared to conventional plastics.
Sustainable Management of Organic Waste and Recycling for Bioplastics: A LCA Approach for the Italian Case Study
Researchers used life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental trade-offs of collecting organic waste for biodegradable plastic production in Italy, finding that the system could reduce fossil resource use but that impacts depended heavily on collection efficiency and the end-of-life pathway chosen.
The synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoates from low carbon wastewater under anaerobic-microaerobic process: effects of pH and nitrogen and phosphorus limitation
Researchers optimized conditions for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) — biodegradable bioplastics — from wastewater using bacteria under anaerobic-microaerobic conditions. Controlling pH and nutrient levels significantly improved PHA production yield. This work advances the development of sustainable plastic alternatives made from waste materials.
An Overview of Biorefinery Waste for Microbial Production of Green Plastic in a Circular Economy
This review examines how waste streams from biorefineries — such as agricultural residues and food processing byproducts — can be used as feedstocks for microbial production of bioplastics like polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). The authors assess current production methods, cost challenges, and the potential for a circular bioeconomy where plastic alternatives are made from waste rather than fossil fuels. While not about microplastic contamination directly, reducing reliance on conventional plastics through bio-based alternatives is a key long-term strategy for limiting microplastic generation.
Switching from petro-plastics to microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA): the biotechnological escape route of choice out of the plastic predicament?
This review makes the case for replacing petroleum-based plastics with microbially produced biodegradable alternatives (PHAs), particularly for packaging and medical applications. If produced efficiently enough, PHAs could reduce persistent plastic waste and the resulting microplastic pollution.
Existing Scenario and Environmental Significance of Biodegradable Plastics: A Review for a Sustainable Future
This review examines the current status of biodegradable plastics derived from renewable sources (starch, PLA, PHA), covering production methods, degradation behavior, and their real-world performance as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics in reducing landfill burden and marine microplastic pollution.
PHA-Based Bioplastic: a Potential Alternative to Address Microplastic Pollution
This review examines polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-based bioplastics as biodegradable alternatives to petroleum-derived plastics, highlighting their potential to reduce microplastic pollution while discussing challenges in scaling production and improving material properties.
PHA, the Greenest Plastic So Far: Advancing Microbial Synthesis, Recovery, and Sustainable Applications for Circularity
This review examines polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a family of biodegradable plastics made by bacteria that could replace conventional petroleum-based plastics. Switching to PHAs could significantly reduce microplastic pollution because unlike traditional plastics, these materials fully break down in the environment rather than fragmenting into persistent microplastic particles.
Paving the way for biobased materials : a roadmap for the market introduction of PHAs
This roadmap paper examines barriers to large-scale commercial production of PHA biopolymers, which are biodegradable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. Scaling up PHA production is essential for offering plastic manufacturers sustainable alternatives that would not persist as microplastics in the environment.
Comparative life cycle analysis of PHA-based consumer items for daily use
A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment compared PHA-based consumer items made from mixed microbial cultures using organic waste feedstock against conventional fossil-based equivalents, finding generally favorable environmental performance for PHA products in carbon footprint and fossil resource categories.
Maximizing Environmental Impact Savings Potential through Innovative Biorefinery Alternatives: An Application of the TM-LCA Framework for Regional Scale Impact Assessment
This study evaluated the environmental savings potential of innovative biorefinery approaches for converting agricultural and organic waste into valuable products. It is a life cycle assessment paper on industrial ecology with no direct relevance to microplastics.
Environmental performance of PET and biopolymers: a comparative LCA of end-of-life scenarios
Researchers conducted a comparative life cycle assessment of PET, PLA, and PHA plastics under different end-of-life scenarios including mechanical recycling and incineration. They found that biopolymers PLA and PHA consistently outperformed PET in impact categories such as eutrophication and climate change, particularly under proper waste management. The study suggests that biopolymers offer measurable environmental advantages, though their benefits depend heavily on the waste management infrastructure available.
Metabolic Process and Types of Carbon Source leads to Desired Polyhydroxyalkanoate Properties
This review examines how different carbon sources and metabolic pathways influence the biosynthetic production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), analyzing how carbon source selection and organism choice determine whether homo- or copolymers are produced and shape the resulting physical and chemical properties of these biodegradable plastics.
Innovations in applications and prospects of bioplastics and biopolymers: a review
Researchers reviewed the chemistry, applications, and market outlook for bioplastic polymers including PHA, PLA, and cellulose-based materials, finding they offer meaningful environmental advantages over petroleum plastics but require further economic and performance optimization before achieving widespread commercial adoption.
Attributional and consequential life cycle perspectives of second-generation polylactic acid: The benefits of integrating a recycling strategy
Researchers used life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental feasibility of second-generation polylactic acid (PLA) production from wheat straw, comparing attributional and consequential perspectives and assessing the role of chemical recycling on environmental performance. The study found that integrating a recycling strategy improved the environmental profile of the bio-based bioplastic.
Low-quality animal by-product streams for the production of PHA-biopolymers: fats, fat/protein-emulsions and materials with high ash content as low-cost feedstocks
Researchers explored using low-quality animal by-product waste streams — including fats, fat-protein emulsions, and high-ash materials — as low-cost feedstocks for producing PHA biopolymers, a biodegradable alternative to conventional plastics that could reduce both production costs and waste disposal burden.
A review on polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production through the use of lignocellulosic biomass
This review examines the process of producing polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics from lignocellulosic biomass. The study covers the full production chain from biomass pre-treatment to PHA extraction, exploring pathways for cost-effective biodegradable plastic production.
Exploring Microorganisms from Plastic-Polluted Sites: Unveiling Plastic Degradation and PHA Production Potential
Researchers screened microorganisms from plastic-polluted sites for their ability to break down conventional plastics and produce a biodegradable alternative called PHA. They identified several bacterial strains capable of degrading synthetic polymers and simultaneously producing this bio-based plastic from waste materials. The study highlights the potential for using naturally adapted microbes from contaminated environments as tools for both plastic cleanup and sustainable material production.
Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Bio-polyesters – Circular Materials for Sustainable Development and Growth
This review examines polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers as circular carbon materials produced from renewable feedstocks and biodegradable across diverse environments, arguing that PHAs offer a more genuine solution to microplastic pollution than conventional bioplastics that require industrial composting.
What Is New in the Field of Industrial Wastes Conversion into Polyhydroxyalkanoates by Bacteria?
This review covers recent advances in using bacteria to convert industrial food waste into polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a type of biodegradable bioplastic. Using industrial waste as feedstock for bioplastic production could reduce both plastic pollution and food industry waste simultaneously.
Assessing the environmental footprint of recycled plastic pellets: A life-cycle assessment perspective
This study used life-cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of producing recycled plastic pellets from waste polyolefin plastics. While recycling reduced carbon emissions compared to making new plastic, the process still required significant energy, especially when solvent recovery was maximized. The research is relevant to the microplastics problem because it shows that even recycling processes need optimization to truly reduce the environmental footprint of plastic waste.
Production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymer from crop residue using bacteria as an alternative to plastics: a review
This review examines how PHA, a biodegradable plastic made from crop waste using bacteria, could serve as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics. While PHA breaks down naturally unlike traditional plastics that fragment into microplastics, challenges remain in making it heat-stable and cost-competitive enough for widespread industrial use.
Novel Technologies for Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) Production
This review examines novel production technologies for polyhydroxyalkanoates, highlighting how the global problem of plastic and microplastic pollution has intensified interest in developing scalable, eco-friendly bioplastic alternatives over more than four decades of PHA research.
Bioconversion of whey to Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA): Process Optimization and Yield Enhancement
Researchers investigated the microbial biosynthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoate using cheese whey as a substrate with a novel Stutzerimonas stutzeri strain, optimising the process to enhance PHA yield as a biodegradable alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastics.