New research could replace petrochemicals with biodegradable microbial products
Tuesday, November 29, 2016 - 09:01
in Earth & Climate
Researchers are actively studying polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a family of natural polyesters produced by microorganisms that may represent biodegradable and biocompatible substitutes for petroleum-based plastics. For the past 30 years, investigators have been striving to determine the crystal structure of an important enzyme in the production of PHAs— called PHA synthase— but without success.