TY - CHAP
T1 - Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) based biopolymers: properties, applications and biodegradation
AU - Zeng, Fangnan
AU - Luo, Lijun
AU - Huang, Xiaowu
AU - Pradhan, Nirakar
PY - 2025/7/3
Y1 - 2025/7/3
N2 - Plastic pollution has emerged as a critical environmental challenge, with over 400 million metric tons of plastic produced annually, leading to significant impacts on environmental matrices and human health. In response, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)-based biopolymers have gained attention as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics. Derived from various renewable resources, PHAs offer significant advantages, including biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxic characteristics, allowing them to be applied in diverse sectors, including packaging, agriculture, and biomedicine. They also have the potential to be degraded through both biotic and abiotic processes. This chapter aims to provide an overview of PHA bioplastics, detailing their chemical and mechanical properties, diverse applications, and the challenges posed by their high crystallinity and brittleness for both applications and biodegradation. Furthermore, it explores the degradation mechanisms facilitated by specific microorganisms and enzymes, emphasizing the factors that influence biodegradability across different environmental conditions.
AB - Plastic pollution has emerged as a critical environmental challenge, with over 400 million metric tons of plastic produced annually, leading to significant impacts on environmental matrices and human health. In response, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)-based biopolymers have gained attention as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics. Derived from various renewable resources, PHAs offer significant advantages, including biodegradability, biocompatibility, and non-toxic characteristics, allowing them to be applied in diverse sectors, including packaging, agriculture, and biomedicine. They also have the potential to be degraded through both biotic and abiotic processes. This chapter aims to provide an overview of PHA bioplastics, detailing their chemical and mechanical properties, diverse applications, and the challenges posed by their high crystallinity and brittleness for both applications and biodegradation. Furthermore, it explores the degradation mechanisms facilitated by specific microorganisms and enzymes, emphasizing the factors that influence biodegradability across different environmental conditions.
KW - Bioplastic
KW - Biopolymer
KW - Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)
KW - Environmental factors
KW - Chemical properties of PHA
KW - Mechanical properties of PHA
KW - Biodegradation of PHA
UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468012525000033?dgcid=author
UR - https://shop.elsevier.com/books/sustainable-bioplastics-production-from-renewable-sources/li/978-0-443-34441-1
U2 - 10.1016/bs.aibe.2025.03.003
DO - 10.1016/bs.aibe.2025.03.003
M3 - Chapter
SN - 9780443344411
T3 - Advances in Bioenergy
BT - Advances in Bioenergy
A2 - Li, Yebo
PB - Elsevier
ER -
