The widespread use of plastic items and their improper disposal harms not only physical environments but also human health globally. Therefore, a bioplastic or polymer that can completely vanish from the environment is the foremost priority. Bioplastic can be manufactured using raw materials from plants, animals, and microbes. Polyhydroxyalkaonates (PHAs) is a type of bioplastic which is naturally produced by microbes and importantly biodegradable as well as biocompostable. PHA production utilizing commercial sugars is an economically cost-effective process. Due to urbanization and industrialization a huge amount of waste is generated around the world and its management is a major environmental issue. Urban wastes produced by wastewater treatment plant, agro/food-processing industries, dairy industries, and even from household uses can be an economically sustainable feedstock for the synthesis of PHAs. The current status of bioplastic around the globe is summarized, and the urban waste potential as a feedstock for advances in PHA production technology is reviewed.
This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) (2021R1A2C1007519) and by the R&D Program of MOTIE/KEIT (grant No. 20018132). The authors would also like to thank the Department of Biotechnology, Shoolini University, Solan, for providing the required resources and support. In addition, the authors are grateful to all laboratory colleagues and research personnel for their helpful advice and assistance.
