Polyhydroxyalkanoates commercial development

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. 

In addition to bio-based polyesters such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), and poly(ethylene furanoate) (PEE), all based upon biomass-derived building blocks that have a structure different from today s commercial petrochemical-based polyesters, biobased polyesters can be developed having an identical structure to well-known petrochemical based polyesters. A very important class of such drop-in type bio-based polyesters are represented by polyesters based upon either isophthalic acid or terephthalic acid, such as PET,... 

Many workers have used PyMS to study the structures of polymers, both natural and artificial. Understanding the performance of polymers in terms of cohesion and substrate adhesion is of immense commercial significance in the paint and adhesive industries. Similarly, the behavior of polymers under stress and when exposed to external factors such as ultraviolet light has been extensively studied by PyMS and is useful in the development of novel materials that have desirable properties, e.g., fire-retardant coatings and biodegradable fibers. There is much interest in polyhydroxyalkanoates as potentially biodegradable plastics, and PyMS has been a principal method used to study thermal degradation profiles of this material. Similarly, in forensic science, PyMS has been used to analyze fibers and to help match samples of automotive finishes to paint chips found at crime scenes. 

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