Discovery
Figure 3. The chemical structure of PHB (Lenz & Marchessault, 2004)
Maurice Lemoigne (mid-1920s) was the first person who discovered monopolyester of identified poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) or PHB (Figure 3) [4]. It took a while until the discovery was made known to public because it was originally written in French. Later on, PHB was chemically identified by Staudinger (1920s). However, PHB did not get the same level of attention from the public and scientists as prototypical biodegradable thermoplastic until thirty years later. The Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. (1980s) was the first to do intensive studies on PHB in multiple research areas, including genetic engineering, biotechnology, and the enzymes responsible for biosynthesis and biodegradation. PHB is a reverse polymer found in bacteria and it can produce both the monomer and polymer of [R]-3-hydroxybutyric acid