In the face of the growing global crisis due toย plasticย pollution, a team fromย Monash Universityย in Melbourne (Australia) has managed to transformย food waste into ultra-thin and compostable bioplastics, paving a promising pathย towards a more efficient and less pollutingย circular economy.
What are PHAs and why do they matter?
Biopolymersย produced by bacteria that mimic the properties of plastic but are biodegradable.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)ย are bioplastics generated by bacteria fromย renewable sugars, such asย glucose and fructoseย extracted from food waste. According to the journalย Microbial Cell Factories, these materials are:
- Non-toxic and home compostable
- Biodegradable in marine environments
- Adaptable to replace single-use plastics
The team led byย Edward Attenboroughย and Dr.ย Leonie van โt Hagย used two soil bacteria:
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- C. necator H16: produced up toย 60% PHBย with fructose
- P. putida KT2440: generated more flexibleย mcl-PHA, although in smaller proportions
Both species were fed withย mixtures of sugars, salts, and nutrients, accumulating PHA inside them, which was thenย extracted and converted into 20-micron thick films.
