Some Commercially Attractive PHAs

Some Commercially Attractive PHAs 2.5.1 Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)J... 

A wide range of homopolymers and copolymers of PHA have been produced -in most cases on a laboratory level. Some of these have attracted interest from industrial actors, and have been commercialized over the course of the past two decades. As Table 9.2 shows, PHA production is distributed between a large number of companies. Worldwide, over 24 companies are known for their involvement in PHA production. 

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. 

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