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Microbial-derived natural bioproducts for a sustainable environment 53

Figure 3.1 Production of microbial polymers using waste substrate.

immediate hour decision because of which it is of utmost importance for the plastic
industry as well as the decision makers.
Polymers, such as PHA, are one of the best alternatives to replace the ever-growing
usage of nondegradable plastic. A large section of the literature has been reviewed
regarding PHA which has unveiled various important aspects of changes and develop-
ment with reference to its composition, structure, and usage. There are three categories
of biodegradable plastic—partially biodegradable, photosensitive, and completely
biodegradable plastic, such as PHA (Reddy et al., 2003). PHAs, as the name sug-
gests, are hetero or homopolymers of esters constituting of various hydroxyalkano-
ates (HAs) and are produced by a wide range of bacterial and algal genera.