Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

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.

2022 Water Air & Soil Pollution 172 citations
Article Tier 2

Current trends in the production of biodegradable bioplastics: The case of polyhydroxyalkanoates

This review evaluates the state of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastic production, comparing microbiological, enzymatic, and chemical manufacturing approaches for their potential to replace petroleum-based plastics. While PHAs are naturally biodegradable and mechanically versatile, cost and scalability remain major barriers to commercial adoption.

2020 Biotechnology Advances 130 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Environmental Chemistry Letters 421 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 RSC Advances 22 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Green Energy and Environmental Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2019 The EuroBiotech Journal 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Bacterial Production of Hydroxyalkanoates (PHA)

This review examines bacterial production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) as a biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based plastics, covering fermentation processes, scaling to industrial levels, and future trends, while noting that higher production costs currently prevent PHAs from competing commercially with conventional plastics.

2016 Universal Journal of Microbiology Research 32 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Apple Academic Press eBooks
Article Tier 2

Advances in Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Production, Volume 3

This review synthesizes advances in polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolyester production as a family of biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics, addressing growing public concern about plastic waste and microplastic formation by examining the latest research on PHA synthesis from fossil-free feedstocks.

2022 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Feasibility of Cell-Free Synthesis as a Platform for Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Production: Opportunities and Challenges

This paper is not about microplastics; it reviews cell-free synthesis as a platform for producing polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics as alternatives to petroleum-based plastics.

2023 Polymers 11 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 RSC Sustainability 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Advances in Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Production, Volume 2

This editorial introduces a second special journal issue on polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production — a class of biodegradable plastics produced by microorganisms — covering recent advances in bioprocessing and applications. PHAs are being developed as biodegradable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics to reduce microplastic pollution.

2020 Bioengineering 26 citations
Article Tier 2

A New Wave of Industrialization of PHA Biopolyesters

This review covers the growing commercial development of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a class of biodegradable bioplastics made by microorganisms that can replace conventional fossil-fuel plastics. Unlike traditional plastics, PHAs break down naturally in soil, freshwater, and ocean environments, which would reduce microplastic pollution. With over 25 companies now producing PHAs and 30 or more brand owners adopting them, this emerging industry could help address the microplastic crisis at its source.

2022 Bioengineering 251 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioplastics: A new analytical challenge

This review examines the environmental properties and degradation behavior of bioplastics such as PLA and PHAs, evaluating whether they represent a genuinely sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics and assessing the analytical techniques available to detect and quantify their breakdown products.

2022 Frontiers in Chemistry 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial PolyHydroxyAlkanoate (PHA) Biopolymers—Intrinsically Natural

This review makes the case for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), naturally produced bioplastics made by bacteria, as a solution to fossil plastic pollution. Unlike conventional plastics that break down into persistent microplastics, PHAs are fully biodegradable in soil, water, and marine environments. Widespread adoption of PHAs could help reduce the growing burden of microplastic contamination that threatens ecosystems and human health.

2023 Bioengineering 62 citations
Article Tier 2

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

This review examined polyhydroxyalkanoate biopolyesters as industrially produced biodegradable plastics, covering their microbial biosynthesis, material properties, and commercial applications as sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics.

2022 The EuroBiotech Journal 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Scalable Step-by-Step Approach of Sustainable Bioplastic Production from Food Waste

Researchers developed a scalable step-by-step method for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) bioplastics from food waste, addressing both the microplastic crisis and food waste challenges by demonstrating that food waste feedstocks can enable sustainable PHA production as a fully biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based plastics.

2025 Journal of Visualized Experiments
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Current Applied Science and Technology
Review Tier 2

The degradation of single-use plastics and commercially viable bioplastics in the environment: A review

Researchers reviewed how conventional single-use plastics degrade over decades in natural environments versus how bioplastics biodegrade, finding that while alternatives like PBS and PHA show genuine biodegradation potential, most require specific industrial composting conditions that are rarely available in practice.

2023 Environmental Research 89 citations
Article Tier 2

Poly(hydroxyalkanoates): Emerging Biopolymers in Biomedical Fields and Packaging Industries for a Circular Economy

This review examines poly(hydroxyalkanoates), or PHAs -- a family of biodegradable, bio-based plastics that break down without producing microplastics. PHAs show strong potential in biomedical applications like tissue engineering and implants because they are non-toxic and compatible with the human body. The paper discusses how PHAs could help address plastic waste and microplastic pollution while offering safe alternatives for both packaging and medical uses.

2024 Biomedical Materials & Devices 25 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Quarterly 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Prospective LCA to provide environmental guidance for developing waste-to-PHA biorefineries

Researchers used life cycle assessment to map out how future biorefineries could produce biodegradable plastics (polyhydroxyalkanoates, or PHA) from waste streams with up to 50% lower environmental impact compared to business-as-usual, provided supportive environmental policies are in place. The study identifies how well plastic is extracted from the microbial biomass as the single biggest factor controlling the process's environmental footprint.

2022 Journal of Cleaner Production 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Overcoming Challenges in the Commercialization of Biopolymers: From Research to Applications—A Review

This review examines the barriers preventing biopolymers from reaching commercial markets despite growing research interest. Researchers explored how fiber properties and processing conditions affect biodegradability, and how biopolymers can be manufactured on existing equipment. The study highlights biopolymers as a promising alternative to conventional plastics that could help reduce microplastic accumulation in the environment.

2024 Polymers 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioplastics and biodegradable plastics: A review of recent advances, feasibility and cleaner production

Researchers systematically reviewed over 280 articles on bioplastics and biodegradable plastics, finding that while polylactic acid and polyhydroxyalkanoates reduce fossil fuel dependence, their higher production costs, lower durability, and tendency to form microplastics when improperly composted remain significant barriers to replacing conventional plastics.

2025 The Science of The Total Environment 59 citations