Overview / Routes / PHA family & copolymers
Polyhydroxyalkanoates made inside bacterial cells, from PHB to copolymers such as PHBV and PHBHHx.
Scope: PHB, PHBV, P3HB4HB, PHBHHx (PHBH), mcl-PHA and blends; fermentation feedstocks including sugars, oils, wastes, CO₂ and methane.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters produced by many bacteria. Chen reviews their use as bioplastics, fine chemicals and biomaterials and describes an industrial value chain from fermentation to materials.
Bugnicourt et al. report that most commercial PHAs come from pure cultures on renewable feedstocks such as glucose, while research is moving to waste streams as growth media.
The basic member is poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). Copolymers add other hydroxyalkanoate units. Noda et al. report that medium-chain-length side groups lower crystallinity and melting temperature, which eases processing and adds ductility.
Hydroxy acid of PHB; bacteria polymerise it from (R)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA.
C[C@@H](O)CC(=O)ORepeat unit of PHB. Hydrolysis returns (R)-3-hydroxybutanoic acid.
*O[C@H](C)CC(*)=Overified via r-3hb · source
Hydroxy acid of the HV comonomer unit in PHBV (stereocentre not specified here).
CCC(O)CC(=O)OHydroxy acid of the 4HB unit in P3HB4HB copolymers.
OCCCC(=O)OHydroxy acid of the HHx unit in PHBHHx; its propyl side chain lowers crystallinity.
CCCC(O)CC(=O)ODrawn from SMILES with RDKit and verified against PubChem. Full structure library →
Cells polymerise (R)-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA monomers and store the polymer as intracellular granules; the polymer is then extracted and compounded (see Chemistry for the PhaA/PhaB/PhaC pathway).
Noda et al. describe PHA thermal decomposition as starting at relatively low temperature, so a lower melting point widens the processing window.
Sourced property table (ND where no value is quoted) →
Each attribute is recorded separately and never inferred from another.
None listed. Organisations are named here only when a checked development or cited source names them.
Cross-cutting: Processing window & crystallisation speed · Brittleness, impact & ageing · Feedstock availability, land use & variability · Cost per kg resin and per finished part · Scale-up, capacity vs real output
PHA applications as bioplastics, fine chemicals, implant biomaterials, medicines and biofuels[Chen 2009]
Most commercially available PHAs are obtained with pure microbial cultures grown on renewable feedstocks[Bugnicourt 2014]
high biodegradability in different environments, not just in composting plants[Bugnicourt 2014]
effectively lowers the crystallinity and the melt temperature[Noda 2004]
the thermal decomposition temperature of PHAs is then relatively low[Noda 2004]
Each quote is re-checked against the published abstract in CI.
No checked developments.
“mcl-C19 could accumulate up to 13 g/l and 49.6% content of scl-co-mcl PHA copolymers” (abstract)
“they demonstrate the capability of producing stereoirregular P3HB in vitro” (abstract)
“sucrose yielding up to 76% PHB of cell dry weight (CDW) in flasks” (abstract)
“Cf PhaZ efficiently degraded industrially relevant bioplastic films, reaching up to 40% conversion into soluble monomers” (abstract)
“First PHA-Based ECOVIVA® Hotmelt Adhesive Available in the US Market” (title)
“Accelerated Weathering Performance and Biodegradation of Polyhydroxybutyrate” (title)
“CJ Biomaterials Secures BPI, TÜV AUSTRIA Certifications for New PHACT™ All-PHA Compound” (title)
“Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-4HB)] was synthesized when γ-butyrolactone was added as a precursor” (abstract)
“Effect of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) and talc on mechanical and barrier properties” (title)
“focusing on polyhydroxyalkanoates, bacterial nanocellulose, and the monomers of polylactic acid and polyethylene furanoate” (abstract)
“Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) production from agro-industrial wastes by moderately halophilic Bacillus strains” (title)
“Physicochemical and Compositional Characterization of P(3HB-co-3HHx) Synthesized by Burkholderia sacchari” (title)
“Zobellella denitrificans MW1全基因组解析与碳源偏好及低磷驱动的聚羟基丁酸酯积累机制研究” (title)
“natural waste-derived fillers, such as walnut shell (WS), cellulose (CEL), and wood filler (WF) were incorporated into PHBV matrices” (abstract)
“In contrast, optimal PHA production was observed at pH 8.0” (abstract)
“inhibits Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation” (title)
“Prediction of tensile strength of PHBV-sunflower husk biocomposites” (title)
“utilizing cost-effective carbon substrates derived from Agro-Industrial waste for PHA biosynthesis” (abstract)
“supporting a maximum PHA content of 82.9% of cell dry weight at a C:N ratio of 38:1 after 48 h” (abstract)
No checked developments.
“Enhancing 3-hydroxyvalerate concentration in poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain 78B” (title)
“agro-industrial residues can be successfully valorized as low-cost substrates for P(3HB) production” (abstract)
“produced more than three-fold higher PHA titer under simulated Mars conditions compared to its parent strain” (abstract)
“the quaternary formulation retained 28.7% of its initial elongation after thermal aging at 100 °C” (abstract)
“boosting progressively the accumulation outcomes from 0.48 gPHA/gVSS for acetate to 0.61 gPHA/gVSS for butyrate feeding” (abstract)
“Interfacial enhancement of bamboo flour/poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) biocomposites” (title)
“Continuous feeding of carbon and nitrogen sources in a fed-batch bioreactor increased biomass concentration to approximately 20 g/L” (abstract)
“A two-tier architecture governs monomer incorporation and granule morphology in polyhydroxyalkanoate synthases” (title)
“produce polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) bioplastics using wastewater sludge (WWS) as a primary feedstock” (abstract)
“Mango Materials Partner to Advance Affordable Bioplastics from Methane” (title)
“the system achieved a reactor-level apparent carbon recovery efficiency of 76.1%” (abstract)
“this unengineered strain produced 5.07 g/L poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) with a conversion yield of 0.51 g/g ethanol” (abstract)
“producing reactive PHB oligomers directly from high molecular weight PHB under mild, catalyst- and solvent-free conditions” (abstract)
“This study represents the first biochemical characterisation of PHA synthase from C. thermodepolymerans” (abstract)
“Thus, a novel kinetic model is proposed, based on the Monod equation” (abstract)
“intracellular polymer contents of up to approximately 50% of cell dry weight” (abstract)
“this review proposes a Chassis Maturity Framework (CMF) that systematically evaluates non-model PHA-producing microorganisms” (abstract)
“New PHACT™ All-PHA Compound Designed for Home Compostable Cutlery” (title)
“NAC and TC strategies cut environmental loads by 30%–45%” (abstract)
“PHBV/PBAT/plasticized duckweed biomass blends” (title)
“Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) produced from used cooking oil (UCO) are promising alternatives” (abstract)
“This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent improvements in PHB production by halophilic bacteria” (abstract)
“polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-based bioplastics (two process configurations)” (abstract)
“a self-reinforcement strategy based on PHB copolymers” (abstract)
“Streptomyces species have gained attention as promising yet underexplored candidates for PHA production” (abstract)
“Among all substrates, banana peel extract was found to support high PHA production.” (abstract)
“The SNP 2% composite exhibited the highest tensile strength (21.28 MPa)” (abstract)
“PHBH retains high stiffness and strength but remains brittle” (abstract)
“flow-induced crystallization of PHBHHx was enhanced” (abstract)
“Conversion of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) bioplastics to short-chain fatty acids by acidogenic fermentation” (title)
“0.70 g l -1 R-3HB was produced directly from enzymatic hydrolysates of blended PET, PBAT, and thermoplastic PU” (abstract)
“Electrospun fibers of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), blended with PCL or PBS, were loaded with linezolid (LIN)” (abstract)
“This study examines whether polyhydroxyalkanoate can be an appropriate substitute for polystyrene in the production of bread tags” (abstract)
“Polyhydroxybutyrate-Polybutylene Succinate/Chitosan-Coated Macadamia Nutshell Composite Filaments” (title)
“This review seeks to compile Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) degradation studies published over the past 20 years.” (abstract)
“Metabolic engineering strategies have enabled enhanced yield, altered polymer composition, and reduced process costs” (abstract)
“This review argues that microorganisms and their enzymatic machineries are the biological catalysts that are needed to make this circular vision of bioplastics a reality.” (abstract)