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polyhydroxyalkanoate
Sign in to savethumb|right|200px|Structure of poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate (Polyhydroxybutyrate|P3HB), a polyhydroxyalkanoate thumb|400px|right|Chemical structures of P3HB, PHV and their copolymer PHBV
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Biosynthesis
- Industrial production
- Material properties
- Applications
- References
- Further reading
thumb|right|200px|Structure of poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate (Polyhydroxybutyrate|P3HB), a polyhydroxyalkanoate thumb|400px|right|Chemical structures of P3HB, PHV and their copolymer PHBV
Polyhydroxyalkanoates or PHAs are polyesters produced in nature by numerous microorganisms, including through bacterial fermentation of sugars or lipids. When produced by bacteria they serve as both a source of energy and as a carbon store. More than 150 different monomers can be combined within this family to give materials with extremely different properties. These plastics are biodegradable and are used in the production of bioplastics.