Bacterial Production of Hydroxyalkanoates (PHA)

Abstract

The dependence of plastic materials is an increasing problem. Although plastics are very useful for humankind many disadvantages derived from the difficulties linked to recycling and disposal are well known. A feasible alternative is the production and use of bioplastics. These compounds have multiple options at the end of his life that can ensure their safety and efficacy of reuse or recovery. For example, raw materials can be returned to the manufacturer for recycling. Bioplastics synthesized through biotechnology include mainly polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), common lipoidic storage materials accumulated by prokaryotes. Some processes for producing PHAs by fermentation using microorganisms have been developed at a different extent. However, biopolymers (PHA) market is under development, and therefore cannot compete with traditional plastics since manufacturing is still more expensive. In this review we have focused on the study of the production processes of bioplastics where bacteria are present, also describing the scaling to industrial level aspects and future trends.