Novel Production Methods of Polyhydroxyalkanoates and Their Innovative Uses in Biomedicine and Industry

Abstract

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a biodegradable polymer obtained from microorganisms and plants, have been widely used in biomedical applications and devices, such as sutures, cardiac valves, bone scaffold, and drug delivery of compounds with pharmaceutical interests, as well as in food packaging. This review focuses on the use of polyhydroxyalkanoates beyond the most common uses, aiming to inform about the potential uses of the biopolymer as a biosensor, cosmetics, drug delivery, flame retardancy, and electrospinning, among other interesting uses. The novel applications are based on the production and composition of the polymer, which can be modified by genetic engineering, a semi-synthetic approach, by changing feeding carbon sources and/or supplement addition, among others. The future of PHA is promising, and despite its production costs being higher than petroleum-based plastics, tools given by synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and machine learning, among others, have allowed for great production yields, monomer and polymer functionalization, stability, and versatility, a key feature to increase the uses of this interesting family of polymers.

Characterization and Process Optimization for Enhanced Production of Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-Based Biodegradable Polymer from Bacillus flexus Isolated from Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Site

“…Bacillus species possess innate abilities to utilize cheap and diverse carbon waste materials due to the fact that they possess hydrolytic enzymes which allow them to decompose these complex residues. In this way, native Bacillus strains are currently being explored in an industrial setting for the production of PHB using agro-wastes as a source of carbon [ 62 , 66 , 67 ].…”

“…Moreover, the yield of PHB production from agricultural wastes may be lower than from other sources, which can limit the economic viability of the process. The technology used in PHB production from agricultural wastes is still developing, and there may be technical limitations that need to be overcome to make the process more efficient and cost-effective [ 66 ]. Overall, while the production of PHB from agricultural wastes is a promising area of research, it is important to carefully consider these limitations and work towards developing solutions to overcome them in order to achieve the full potential of this approach [ 67 ].…”

Composite core‐double sheath fibers based on some biodegradable polyesters obtained by self‐organization during electrospinning

“…These polyesters are considered as the most promising candidates for replacement of the petroleum‐based polymers widely used for fabrication of plastics. In addition, a great part of these biodegradable aliphatic polyesters has already found application in pharmacy and in medicine and intensive studies are being performed in the field of food packaging 27–34 . In addition to poly( l ‐lactide), other very attractive aliphatic polyesters are: poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL), poly( d , l ‐lactide‐ co ‐glycolide) (PLAGA), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), and poly( l ‐lactide‐ co ‐ d , l ‐lactide).…”

“…In addition, a great part of these biodegradable aliphatic polyesters has already found application in pharmacy and in medicine and intensive studies are being performed in the field of food packaging. [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] In addition to poly(L-lactide), other very attractive aliphatic polyesters are: poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLAGA), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), and poly(L-lactide-co-D,L-lactide). It should also be noted that all of the above mentioned polyesters are easily electrospinnable.…”

Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption and Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry of Microbial and Synthetic Biodegradable Polymers

“…In the past, different polymers that can fulfill both end-of-life options have been developed and put on the market. The most attractive and extensively used biodegradable polymers, commercially available for their appealing properties, are polylactide (PLA), poly(butyleneadipate-co-butylenetherephthalate) (PBAT), and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Growing environmental attention and legislative choices make foreseen a rising share of use and an extension of the application fields.…”