Recovery of bio-based products from PHA-rich biomass obtained from biowaste: A review
Giovanna Pesante, Nicola Frison
Abstract
PHAs produced from biowaste are an ecological alternative to petroleum-based plastics. Despite their advantageous characteristics, their commercialisation is limited because the extraction process is still inefficient. This review describes approaches applied to PHA-rich biomass to recover bio-based products beyond their valorisation as bioplastics. The whole PHA-containing microbial cell can be used for animal feed, since PHAs can boost the immune system of the fed animals, and direct extrusion of PHA-rich biomass allows the production of biocomposites. After PHAs extraction, by-products can be recovered to make high-value products such as animal feed, biostimulants, protein hydrolysates, flocculants, adhesives and pharmaceutical. PHAs-rich microbes can also be fed to animals able to excrete PHAs in their faecal pellets, from which they can be easily retrieved. Such approaches have the potential to favour the transition to bioplastics obtained from biowaste streams, thus reducing the environmental impact of plastic production.