Advances In Phas Production
Rana Amache, Artun Sukan, Maryam Safari, Ipsita Roy, Tajalli Keshavarz*
Department of Molecular and Applied Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Westminster, UK
T.Keshavarz@westminster.ac.uk
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biological polyesters produced through microbial fermentation
processes. They have attracted attention as an alternative source to petro-chemically derived plastics as
they are biodegradable, renewable, biocompatible and environmentally friendly. However, a notable
limitation for their bulk production is the producer microbes’ low yield and productivity which leads to high
production costs. Intensive research is being carried out at all production steps including strain selection
and improvement, media development, fermentation and bioreactor design to downstream unit operations
in order to improve the overall process efficiency and performance. This review article concentrates on the
current state of PHA production, with particular emphasis on media composition focusing on waste
material as substrate. Bioreactor types and culturing methods will also be explored.