Economic and environmental analysis of PHAs production process

Leong, Yoong Kit; Show, Pau Loke; Lan, John Chi-Wei; Loh, Hwei‐San; Lam, Hon Loong; Ling, Tau Chuan

doi:10.1007/s10098-017-1377-2

Cited by 76 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The energy requirement is lower for bioplastics (57 MJ kg −1 ) compared to conventional plastics (77 MJ kg −1 ) [88], which impacts global warming less [44]; however, bioplastics still have higher production costs than conventional plastics. It is estimated that biopolymers' price is 2 to 5 times higher compared to the conventional plastics [27,89] and ranges between 2-6 € kg −1 (depending on amount) as opposed to 1.2 € kg −1 for the latter ones [29,33,90]. However, there are kinds of biopolymers that are competitive with the fossil-derived polymers in terms of cost, namely the PLA and the thermoplastic-starch-based bioplastics [57].…”

Section: Cellulose-basedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradation of Wasted Bioplastics in Natural and Industrial Environments: A Review

et al. 2020

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The problems linked to plastic wastes have led to the development of biodegradable plastics. More specifically, biodegradable bioplastics are the polymers that are mineralized into carbon dioxide, methane, water, inorganic compounds, or biomass through the enzymatic action of specific microorganisms. They could, therefore, be a suitable and environmentally friendly substitute to conventional petrochemical plastics. The physico-chemical structure of the biopolymers, the environmental conditions, as well as the microbial populations to which the bioplastics are exposed to are the most influential factors to biodegradation. This process can occur in both natural and industrial environments, in aerobic and anaerobic conditions, with the latter being the least researched. The examined aerobic environments include compost, soil, and some aquatic environments, whereas the anaerobic environments include anaerobic digestion plants and a few aquatic habitats. This review investigates both the extent and the biodegradation rates under different environments and explores the state-of-the-art knowledge of the environmental and biological factors involved in biodegradation. Moreover, the review demonstrates the need for more research on the long-term fate of bioplastics under natural and industrial (engineered) environments. However, bioplastics cannot be considered a panacea when dealing with the elimination of plastic pollution.

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Section: Cellulose-basedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradation of Wasted Bioplastics in Natural and Industrial Environments: A Review

et al. 2020

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“…The current cost of PHAs production and recovery with aqueous two-phase extraction method is stated as 5.77 USD/kg. However, utilizing a cheaper carbon source such as sludge has the potential to reduce the final PHA production price significantly (Leong et al 2017). Hence, the theoretical price of PHAs produced in fed-batch mode using waste materials could reach up to 3.51 €/kg.…”

Section: Market Possibilities For Recovered Materials: Phamentioning

confidence: 99%

Validated innovative approaches for energy-efficient resource recovery and re-use from municipal wastewater: From anaerobic treatment systems to a biorefinery concept

Akyol

Foglia

Özbayram

et al. 2019

Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology

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The development of innovative technologies in wastewater treatment create the concept of biorefinery in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), placing anaerobic processes in the highlight. Starting from the conventional anaerobic treatment processes to "closing the loop" scheme, next generation WWTPs are ready to serve for water, energy and materials mining. While bioenergy is still dominating the resource recovery, recovery of value-added materials (i.e. struvite, biopolymers, cellulose) are receiving significant attention in recent years. So, what are the state-of-the-art approaches for energy-efficient resource recovery and re-use from municipal wastewater? This paper follows a critical review on the validated technologies in operational environment available and further suggests possible market routes for the recovered materials in WWTPs. Considering the development and verification of a novel technology together with the valorisation of the obtained products, biorefinery and resource recovery approaches were gathered in this review paper from a circular economy point of view. General currently-faced barriers were briefly addressed to pave the way to a create to-the-point establishments of resource recovery facilities in the future.

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“…In fact, whilst common polyolefins like polyethylene and polypropylene nowadays cost less than 1 €/kg [ 56 ], PHAs can range from 2 to 5 €/kg depending on the grade [ 67 ]. Their higher prices are mainly due to the cost of carbon sources, substrates and to the low extraction yield at industrial scale [ 68 ]. PHAs are largely hydrophobic and soluble in chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as chloroform or dichloromethane.…”

Section: Pha: Biosynthesis and Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advantages of Additive Manufacturing for Biomedical Applications of Polyhydroxyalkanoates

et al. 2021

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In recent years, biopolymers have been attracting the attention of researchers and specialists from different fields, including biotechnology, material science, engineering, and medicine. The reason is the possibility of combining sustainability with scientific and technological progress. This is an extremely broad research topic, and a distinction has to be made among different classes and types of biopolymers. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a particular family of polyesters, synthetized by microorganisms under unbalanced growth conditions, making them both bio-based and biodegradable polymers with a thermoplastic behavior. Recently, PHAs were used more intensively in biomedical applications because of their tunable mechanical properties, cytocompatibility, adhesion for cells, and controllable biodegradability. Similarly, the 3D-printing technologies show increasing potential in this particular field of application, due to their advantages in tailor-made design, rapid prototyping, and manufacturing of complex structures. In this review, first, the synthesis and the production of PHAs are described, and different production techniques of medical implants are compared. Then, an overview is given on the most recent and relevant medical applications of PHA for drug delivery, vessel stenting, and tissue engineering. A special focus is reserved for the innovations brought by the introduction of additive manufacturing in this field, as compared to the traditional techniques. All of these advances are expected to have important scientific and commercial applications in the near future.

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Economic and environmental analysis of PHAs production process

Cited by 76 publications

References 31 publications

Biodegradation of Wasted Bioplastics in Natural and Industrial Environments: A Review

Biodegradation of Wasted Bioplastics in Natural and Industrial Environments: A Review

Validated innovative approaches for energy-efficient resource recovery and re-use from municipal wastewater: From anaerobic treatment systems to a biorefinery concept

Advantages of Additive Manufacturing for Biomedical Applications of Polyhydroxyalkanoates

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