ABSTRACT
The fluctuation in the price of crude oil during the last decades, the importance of resource sustainability, and the environmental concerns related to plastics pollution have promoted the research and development of bio-based plastics. Among them, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) have been attracting interest for the past decades as they are 100% bio-based, biocompatible, and biodegradable polymers that closely resemble the properties of conventional polymers such as poly(propylene) (PP) or low-density poly(ethylene) (LDPE). Over the past several years, their sustainable production in a biorefinery context, tailored microstructure and properties, and wide range of applications have been extensively researched. In this study, the advantages of PHA against other bio-based and conventional polymers are discussed; current applications of PHA-based polymers are presented, highlighting innovative products already available on the market, and the potential use of PHA monomers is addressed.
