Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Role of microalgae as a sustainable alternative of biopolymers and its application in industries

Not a microplastics paper — this review examines the potential of algae-derived biopolymers (such as alginate, carrageenan, and polyhydroxyalkanoates) as biodegradable, eco-friendly replacements for petroleum-based plastics, highlighting their advantages but noting challenges for large-scale production.

2023 Plant Science Today 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Biopolymers production from microalgae and cyanobacteria cultivated in wastewater: Recent advances

This review explores how microalgae and cyanobacteria grown in wastewater can produce biodegradable biopolymers as an alternative to conventional plastics. Researchers found that these organisms can manufacture polyhydroxyalkanoates and other bioplastics while simultaneously helping to treat wastewater. The approach offers a promising dual benefit of reducing plastic pollution and creating value from waste streams.

2022 Biotechnology Advances 101 citations
Article Tier 2

Microalgae as a Source of Biopolymer - A Comprehensive Review

This review examines microalgae as a source of biopolymers for sustainable plastic alternatives, evaluating the potential of algae-derived materials to address the environmental and health harms caused by conventional plastic waste and microplastic pollution through biodegradable substitutes.

2022 Journal Of Biochemical Technology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Production of biopolymers from microalgae and cyanobacteria

This review examines the production of biopolymers, particularly polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), from microalgae and cyanobacteria as sustainable alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics, synthesizing studies on biomass accumulation and production pathways. The authors discuss the properties, applications, and scalability challenges of microalgae- and cyanobacteria-derived bioplastics in the context of reducing plastic pollution and fossil fuel dependence.

2023 IWA Publishing eBooks 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Microalgae in Bioplastic Production: A Comprehensive Review

Researchers reviewed microalgae as a feedstock for bioplastic production, highlighting that algal polysaccharides and polyhydroxyalkanoate content can be harnessed through blending or fermentation-based methods, with genetic engineering tools like CRISPR offering potential to boost yields toward commercial viability.

2023 Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering 73 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

Recent Biotechnological Applications of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) in the Biomedical Sector—A Review

This review surveys recent biotechnological applications of polyhydroxyalkanoates, biodegradable biopolymers produced by microorganisms, in the biomedical sector. Researchers highlight their use in drug delivery carriers and tissue engineering scaffolds as environmentally friendly alternatives to petroleum-derived plastics. The study suggests that the structural versatility of these biopolymers makes them promising candidates for replacing polluting materials in medical applications.

2023 Polymers 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Exploiting sugar-rich feedstocks for sustainable polyhydroxyalkanoate production

Researchers investigated the use of sugar-rich agricultural feedstocks for sustainable production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), evaluating these bacterial biopolymers as biodegradable alternatives to petrochemical plastics that contribute to microplastic pollution.

2025 Circular Agricultural Systems
Article Tier 2

Bioplastics against Microplastics: Screening of Environmental Bacteria for Bioplastics Production

Researchers screened environmental bacteria for their ability to produce polyhydroxyalkanoate bioplastics, which are biodegradable alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics. Developing efficient bioplastic-producing strains is one strategy to reduce the long-term accumulation of persistent microplastics in the environment.

2023 Environmental sciences
Article Tier 2

Study of Bacterial Biopolymer Production by Bacillus Species

This study investigated the ability of Bacillus bacteria to produce polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers, which are biodegradable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. Microbial biopolymer production could help reduce reliance on conventional plastics that persist and accumulate in the environment.

2022 International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) – Production, Properties, and Biodegradation

This review covers polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a class of microbially produced biopolyesters, discussing raw material innovation, microbial producer strains, bioengineering approaches for improved yields, and end-of-life biodegradation options. PHAs are presented as a genuinely circular plastic alternative due to their renewable production, biodegradability, and compatibility with existing plastic applications including food packaging.

2022 15 citations
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

Porphyridium sp. Microalgae as a source of polysaccharides

Not relevant to microplastics — this study compares three Porphyridium microalgae strains for their ability to produce exopolysaccharides under different nutrient and light conditions, relevant to industrial biopolymer production.

2024 Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Biosynthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by the Valorization of Biomass and Synthetic Waste

This paper explores the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), biodegradable microbial polymers, from biomass and waste feedstocks as a sustainable alternative to conventional synthetic plastics. PHAs can be naturally synthesized by bacteria, offering a pathway to biodegradable plastics that do not persist as microplastic pollution.

2020 Molecules 47 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

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
Article Tier 2

Poly(hydroxyalkanoates): Production, Applications and End-of-Life Strategies–Life Cycle Assessment Nexus

This review examines the production, applications, and end-of-life strategies for polyhydroxyalkanoates, highlighting their unique ability to biodegrade in marine environments as a promising alternative to petroleum-based plastics.

2022 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 81 citations
Article Tier 2

Valorization of Biopolymers in Sustainable Material Development

This research evaluates the potential of biopolymers such as polysaccharides, proteins, and microbial polymers as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. The study highlights how conventional plastics contribute to microplastic contamination in biological systems and examines how biopolymer valorization could help address ecological degradation from persistent plastic waste.

2026 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT)
Article Tier 2

Selection of microalgae and cyanobacteria to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) - A case study in Vietnam

Researchers screened 47 strains of microalgae and cyanobacteria from Vietnam for their ability to produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) — biodegradable plastics made by microorganisms — finding 15 strains capable of producing them, with several Arthrospira (spirulina-type) strains accumulating the most. These naturally produced bioplastics could serve as a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to conventional plastics that contribute to microplastic pollution.

2024 Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering 9 citations
Article Tier 2

A Review on Biological Synthesis of the Biodegradable Polymers Polyhydroxyalkanoates and the Development of Multiple Applications

This review covers the biological production of polyhydroxyalkanoates, a family of biodegradable bioplastics that bacteria naturally produce from waste carbon sources. Researchers found that these biopolymers have properties similar to conventional plastics like polypropylene but can fully biodegrade, making them a promising alternative to petroleum-based plastics. The study emphasizes that scaling up production and establishing proper end-of-life management are critical steps for PHAs to compete with conventional plastics and help reduce microplastic pollution.

2022 Catalysts 169 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Alternatives: Biodegradable Solutions and Their Real-World Impact

This review examines biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics, evaluating biopolymers such as polylactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and starch-based composites for their practical performance, cost-efficiency, and real-world environmental impact as substitutes for petroleum-based plastic packaging.

2025 International Journal of Integrated Research and Practice
Article Tier 2

Synthesize and Applications of Biodegradable Plastics as a Solution for Environmental Pollution Due to Non-Biodegradable Plastics, a Review

This review examines biodegradable plastics as alternatives to conventional petroleum-based plastics, covering materials like polylactic acid, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and polycaprolactone. Researchers detail how these polymers are synthesized from renewable resources and can be modified for various applications. The study highlights both the promise and remaining challenges of biodegradable plastics in reducing environmental pollution from non-degradable plastic waste and microplastic formation.

2024 Sustainable polymer & energy 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Algal bioplastics: current market trends and technical aspects

Researchers reviewed the status and commercial potential of algal bioplastics as a sustainable alternative to fossil-based plastics, finding that microalgae outperform plants and microbes for bioplastic feedstock due to their fast growth and wastewater remediation capacity, while cost remains a key barrier to scale-up.

2022 Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 64 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