Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Advanced approaches to produce polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolyesters in a sustainable and economic fashion

This review examines strategies to reduce polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastic production costs by replacing expensive first-generation feedstocks (glucose, starch) with carbon-rich industrial waste streams as second-generation substrates. Researchers describe results from the EU-funded ANIMPOL and WHEYPOL projects, which demonstrated PHA production from animal processing and whey waste residues, improving economic viability and sustainability.

2018 The EuroBiotech Journal 104 citations
Article Tier 2

Valorization of Agri-Food Waste into PHA and Bioplastics: From Waste Selection to Transformation

This review examines how food and farming waste can be converted into biodegradable bioplastics called PHAs, which could replace petroleum-based plastics. The process uses bacteria to transform waste materials like whey and potato peelings into plastic that naturally breaks down. Developing viable alternatives to conventional plastics is critical for reducing the flow of microplastics into the environment and human food chain.

2025 Applied Sciences 20 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

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.

2022 4 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2021 Environmental Engineering Research 13 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

The co-conversion of methane and mixtures of volatile fatty acids into poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) expands the potential of an integrated biorefinery

Researchers used a methane-consuming bacterium to simultaneously convert natural gas and food waste byproducts into PHBV, a biodegradable plastic alternative, achieving yields that varied depending on the mix of waste acids supplied. This integrated biorefinery approach could reduce reliance on conventional petroleum-based plastics by making biodegradable polymers from waste streams.

2023 Bioresource Technology 25 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

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

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

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

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.

2021 Polymers 24 citations
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

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.

2025 Food Technology and Biotechnology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2023 Microorganisms 21 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

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

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

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

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

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
Article Tier 2

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.

2025
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: 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