Towards scaling-up implementation of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from activated sludge: Progress and challenges

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141542
• Publication Date: 2024-03-03T07:28:31Z
• Authors: Zixin Zhang; Yufen Wang; Xiaomin Wang; Yaobin Zhang; Tingting Zhu; Lai Peng; Yifeng Xu; Xueming Chen; Dongbo Wang; Bing-Jie Ni; Yiwen Liu
• Keywords: Environmentally Friendly

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a biodegradable biopolymer synthesized from renewable resources, providing sustainable and eco-friendly plastics. The utilization of activated sludge for PHA production has gained prominence due to its cost-effectiveness abundant availability. Upscaling can contribute waste management resource recovery simultaneously, thereby reducing the dependence on petroleum-based This review critically examines progress challenges in this field, while offering valuable insights into strategies enhancing productivity, improving product quality, costs. analysis primarily focuses identifying key factors influencing each stage three-stage process aimed at increasing productivity. Noteworthy proposed include optimizing enrichment feast/famine ratio. For high-quality PHA, emphasis oriented acid production, selection appropriate extraction methods crucial. also addresses cost reduction, discussing simplification through two-stage process, integration nitrogen removal with production. Future research directions are outlined, highlighting optimization scalability development efficient methods, assessment environmental impacts, alignment policy measures. Conclusively, sludge-based shows great promise necessitates further industrialization.