Polyhydroxyalkanoates: bioplastics with a green agenda.
Production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) has been investigated for more than eighty years but recently a number of factors including increase in the price of crude oil and public awareness of the environmental issues have become a notable driving force for extended research on biopolymers. The versatility of PHAs has made them good candidates for the study of their potential in a variety of areas from biomedical/medical fields to food, packaging, textile and household material. While production costs are still a drawback to wider usage of these biopolymers, their application as low volume high cost items is becoming a reality. The future trend is to focus on the development of more efficient and economical processes for PHA production, isolation, purification and improvement of PHA material properties.
Keshavarz
Tajalli
T
Applied Biotechnology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, United Kingdom. T.Keshavarz@westminster.ac.uk
Roy
Ipsita
I
D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D005285:Fermentation; D007218:Industrial Microbiology / Q000379:methods*; D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000600:supply & distribution*
D003470:Culture Media; D054813:Polyhydroxyalkanoates