Applications of Polyhydroxyalkanoates PHA

Beginning in 2010, large amounts of PHA will be made available to the polymer processing companies, which will be able to develop more PHA-based products. In addition, high value added applications of PHA have also been continuously developed, as described below [4]. 

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Fig. 1 Applications of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) in various fields (Chen 2009a)...

The ninth chapter is on the packaging applications of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). The authors discuss many topics such as polyhydroxyalkanoates, fundamental bioprocess steps for obtaining PHAs, degradation PHA uses in food packaging, methods for obtaining plastic products and examples of applications of bioplastics in food packaging etc. 

Abstract Studies have shown that the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) from plant oils is more efficient than from sugars in terms of productivity. Among the various plant oils, pahn oil is the most efficiently produced oil in the world. The main application of pahn oil is as a source of dietary fat. The conversion of food grade substrates to non-food materials is of concern because of the increasing need to feed the rapidly growing human population. Therefore, the by-products of the plant oil industry may be a better feedstock for PHA production. Alternatively, non-food grade oils such as jatropha oil can be developed as a feedstock for PHA production. This chapter looks at the potential of jatropha oil as a possible feedstock for the biosynthesis of PHA. 

Polyhydroxyalkanoic acids (PHAs) have been extensively researched since the 1970s because of the potential applications of these compounds as biodegradable substitutes for synthetic polymers. The most successful PHA products are the polyhydroxybutyrates (PHBs). The bacterium... 

Abstract Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is an attractive material because it can be produced from renewable resources and because of its plastic-like properties. In addition, PHA can be degraded by the action of microbial enzymes. Although PHA resanbles some commodity plastics, the performance and cost of PHA are not yet good enough for widespread applications as plastic materials. Therefore, the PHA commercialization attempts by many industries for bulk applications have been challenging. However, PHA also possesses interesting properties that can be developed for non-plastic applications. This chapter describes some new niche applications for PHA in cosmetics and wastewater treatment. 

Misra SK, ValappU S, Roy I, Boccaccini AR (2006) Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)/inorganic phase composites for tissue engineering applications. Biomacromolecules 7 2249-2258 Mitschke U, Bauerle P (2000) The electroluminescence of organic materials. J Mater Chem 10 1471-1507... 

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a family of biopolyesters with diverse structures, are the only bioplastics completely synthesized by microorganisms. PHA can be synthesized by over 30% of soil-inhabiting bacteria (Wu et al. 2000). Many bacteria in activated sludge, in high seas, and in extreme environments are also capable of making PHA. In the last 10 years, PHA have been developed rapidly to find applications in various fields (Fig. 1) (Chen 2009a). 

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