The microbial degradation behavior of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) and its compound with several polyesters such as poly(butylene adipate-co-telephtharate) (PBAT), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), and polylactic acid (PLA) in seawater was tested by a biological oxygen demand (BOD) method. PHBHHx showed excellent biodegradation in seawater in this study. In addition, the...

Many bacteria are able to accumulate poly(3-hydroxyalcanoates) (PHA) as a carbon and energy reserve. PHAs are very promising bacterial polyesters with chemical and physical properties that make them suitable for industrial and medical applications (ANDERSON and DAWES, 1990; BRAUNEGG et al., 1998; MADISON and HUISMAN, 1999; WILLIAMS et al., 1999). Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P-3HB) is the most comm...

β-Ketothiolases catalyze the first step of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [poly(3HB)] biosynthesis in bacteria by condensation of two acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) molecules to acetoacetyl-CoA and also take part in the degradation of fatty acids. During growth on propionate or valerate, Ralstonia eutropha H16 produces the copolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) [poly(3HB-co-3HV)]. In R...

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a biogenic polymer that has the potential to substitute synthetic plastic in numerous applications. This due its unique attribute of being biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastic, achievable through microbial fermentation from broad utilizable range renewable resources. Among all PHAs discovered, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB-co-4HB)] st...