Bioplastics from Waste

Could wastewater treatment plants be transformed into factories for producing sustainable bioplastics? This book explores this innovative solution in depth, examining the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) using mixed microbial cultures and renewable carbon sources such as sludges and volatile fatty acids derived from waste. Facing the environmental crisis of conventional plastics, PHAs emerge as a biodegradable and versatile alternative. However, their high production cost has hindered their scalability. This work presents a viable, economical pathway based on waste valorisation that drastically reduces inputs and simplifies the process. This systematic review is aimed at researchers, engineers and students, and synthesises decades of advances in the field, from substrate acquisition to biomass enrichment and final production. Read on to discover how the synergy between biotechnology and the circular economy can drive biopolymer manufacturing, closing the waste cycle and paving the way for a cleaner future.