abstract
Biopolymers are very favorable materials produced by living organisms, with interesting properties such as biodegradability, renewability, and biocompatibility. Biopolymers have been recently considered to compete with fossil-based polymeric materials, which rase several environmental concerns. Biobased plastics are receiving growing interest for many applications including electronics, medical devices, food packaging, and energy. Biopolymers can be produced from biological sources such as plants, animals, agricultural wastes, and microbes. Studies suggest that microalgae and cyanobacteria are two of the promising sources of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), cellulose, carbohydrates (particularly starch), and proteins, as the major components of microalgae (and of certain cyanobacteria) for producing bioplastics. This review aims to summarize the potential of microalgal PHAs, polysaccharides, and proteins for bioplastic production. The findings of this review give insight into current knowledge and future direction in microalgal-based bioplastic production considering a circular economy approach. The current review is divided into three main topics, namely (i) the analysis of the main types and properties of bioplastic monomers, blends, and composites; (ii) the cultivation process to optimize the microalgae growth and accumulation of important biobased compounds to produce bioplastics; and (iii) a critical analysis of the future perspectives on the field.
keywords
POLY-BETA-HYDROXYBUTYRATE; CHLORELLA-VULGARIS; MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES; CARBON-DIOXIDE; SCENEDESMUS SP; POLY(3-HYDROXYBUTYRATE-CO-3-HYDROXYVALERATE) COPOLYMER; MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE; BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS; BIODIESEL PRODUCTION; NITROGEN STARVATION
subject category
Chemistry, Medicinal; Pharmacology & Pharmacy
authors
Madadi, R; Maljaee, H; Serafim, LS; Ventura, SPM
our authors
Hamid Maljaee
Post-Doc Fellowship
Luísa Seuanes Serafim
Assistant Professor
Sónia Patrícia Marques Ventura
Assistant Professoracknowledgements
This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 and UIDP/50011/2020, financed by national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology/MCTES. Sonia P. M. Ventura acknowledges the financial support of FundacAo para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) for the project with the reference PTDC/BTA-BTA/30914/2017.