Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biological polyesters produced through microbial fermentation processes. They have attracted attention as an alternative source to petro-chemically derived plastics as they are biodegradable, renewable, biocompatible and environmentally friendly. However, a notable limitation for their bulk production is the producer microbes’ low yield and productivity which leads to high production costs. Intensive research is being carried out at all production steps including strain selection and improvement, media development, fermentation and bioreactor design to downstream unit operations in order to improve the overall process efficiency and performance. This review article concentrates on the current state of PHA production, with particular emphasis on media composition focusing on waste material as substrate. Bioreactor types and culturing methods will also be explored.
