Grand Challenges for Industrializing Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)

• Published in: Trends in biotechnology (Regular ed.) Vol. 39; no. 9; pp. 953 - 963
• Main Authors: Tan, Dan, Wang, Ying, Tong, Yi, Chen, Guo-Qiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-09-2021; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: 3-D printers; Bacteria; Biocompatibility; Biodiesel fuels; Biofuels; Bioplastics; Biotechnology; Consumption; Copolymers; E coli; Efficiency; Energy; Halomonas; Industrial development; Laboratories; Material properties; Mechanical properties; microbial production; Microorganisms; next-generation industrial biotechnology; NGIB; Osteoporosis; PHB; Plastics; Polyethylene terephthalate; Polyhydroxyalkanoates; Polymers; Production costs; Smart materials; Transplants & implants; next-generation industrial biotechnology; Halomonas; microbial production; PHB; polyhydroxyalkanoates; NGIB
• ISSN: 0167-7799; 1879-3096
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.11.010

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a diverse family of sustainable bioplastics synthesized by various bacteria, but their high production cost and unstable material properties make them challenging to use in commercial applications. Current industrial biotechnology (CIB) employs conventional microbial chassis, leading to high production costs. However, next-generation industrial biotechnology (NGIB) approaches, based on fast-growing and contamination-resistant extremophilic Halomonas spp., allow stable continuous processing and thus economical production of PHAs with stable properties. Halomonas spp. designed and constructed using synthetic biology not only produce low-cost intracellular PHAs but also secrete extracellular soluble products for improved process economics. Next-generation industrial biotechnology is expected to reduce the bioproduction cost and process complexity, leading to successful commercial production of PHAs.
The high production cost, poor thermal and mechanical properties, and unstable quality of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are the grand challenges to be addressed before industrialization.Next-generation industrial biotechnology (NGIB) based on extremophiles is emerging to meet most of these challenges.Fast-growing and contamination-resistant Halomonas spp. allow open, unsterile, and continuous fermentations to produce PHAs with low-cost and stable properties.Halomonas spp. constructed by synthetic biology generate large sizes for PHA accumulation and gravity separation or coproduction of extracellular soluble products.