Microbial degradation of poly-beta-hydroxyalkanoates.
The search for new materials that are not hazardous to the environment has become a major issue in our society, engaged as it is in the attainment of sustainable development. Poly-beta-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA), produced exclusively by prokaryotes, can be used as thermoplastics and are fully biodegradable and innocuous to the environment. Biodegradability testing has quantified the capacity of microorganisms to degrade such new chemical compounds, particularly polyhydroxyalkanoates. Standardized tests may also discover new microorganisms and environmental conditions that accelerate biodegradation. We evaluate various techniques used to assess the biodegradability of PHA, and which may also be applied to test other kinds of polymers.
Biodegradation, Environmental↗