Regulating the monomer of polyhydroxyalkanoate from mixed microbial culture: with particular emphasis on substrate composition: A review

Abstract

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), produced by mixed microbial cultures (MMCs), is a biodegradable biopolyester that alleviates the global plastic crisis in the nearest future. Even PHA has become a research hotspot, reviews on PHA composition determining thermodynamic and processing properties of PHA products are rare. The primary focus of the evaluation relies on the factors affecting the PHA monomer composition of MMC-PHA production. Besides, since the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) composition of the substrates strongly influences the PHA monomer composition, regulating the ratio of even-carbon to odd-carbon VFAs, PHA, vary properties could be obtained predictably. So oriented acid production process, the first stage process in three-stage MMC-PHA production that can regulate the VFAs composition, is also comprehensively introduced to help understand PHA monomer regulation.