Biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate thermoplastics substituting xenobiotic plastics: A way forward for sustainable environment

Abstract

Conventional plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, poly(vinyl chloride), and poly(ethylene terephthalate) are high-molecular-weight polymeric materials which vary from 50,000 to 1,000,000 Da. They have attained unique position in modern material technology. They are omnipresent in today’s society with range from ordinary to high-tech, from vital to entirely lavish. These plastics have diverse feasible application in every field of industries/factories ranging from automobiles to medicine owing to their promising material properties, viz., lightweight, stability, long durability, economic viability, and feasibility to manipulate a range of strengths and shapes. The resistance to degradation, stability, and long durability are some miracle features associated with these plastic materials while in use. However, such properties become detrimental to the environment when out of usage, being synthetic polymers and exceptionally recalcitrant to microbial attack, i.e., nonbiodegradable (xenobiotic polymeric materials). To combat the menace posed by plastics to the environment, several efforts have been made for developing the products that are eco-friendly and degradable with comparable material properties as that of conventional plastics. This chapter presents a revolutionary insight with various technological strategies to overcome the detrimental effects of conventional plastics with special emphasis to completely biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate thermoplastics.