With the improvement of environmental awareness, people are paying more and more attention to biodegradable materials. At present, Unilong has launched a new material called PHA, which stands for Polyhydroxyalkanoates. PHA is a natural polymer polyester material synthesized by microorganisms. There are a large number of microorganisms in water, soil and the human body that can synthesize PHA, and nature is also constantly synthesizing and degrading PHA.
I believe everyone is very curious about the application fields of PHA?
PHA has a wide range of uses and can be used in packaging materials, agricultural uses, medical fields, textiles, degradable materials and other fields. It has a positive effect on reducing environmental pollution and promoting sustainable development. It is produced in microbial cells and has the excellent characteristics of green and low carbon throughout the life cycle. It can be completely degraded in a natural environment in a short time. It is the only degradable material that can be completely digested and absorbed by animals and humans without side effects.
In terms of degradation performance:
The degradation process of PHA is completely natural and spontaneous, without the need for composting, and the degradation cycle is controllable. It has low dependence on the environment and can be 100% degraded into carbon dioxide and water in natural environments such as seawater, fresh water, soil bags and even organic sludge.
In terms of physical properties:
Compared with traditional plastics, PHA has unique excellent properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, optical activity, piezoelectricity, gas separation, plasticity and processability. It can not only select and match the monomer structure of the copolymer, but also be compounded with other degradable materials to improve the physical and mechanical properties of the blend.
Application areas of PHA:
1. Packaging materials: PHA can be used to make plastic bags, films, foams and other packaging materials, with good degradability and less impact on the environment.
2. Agricultural use: PHA can be used to make agricultural films, food packaging, etc. As food packaging, it is non-toxic, harmless and degradable; as agricultural mulch, it does not need to be recycled and directly degraded under the action of soil microorganisms, which helps to reduce plastic pollution in soil and water.
3. Medical field: PHA is a natural polyester existing in microbial cells, which has good compatibility with the human body. Its advantage in the medical field is that it does not need to be removed through secondary surgery. PHA can be used to prepare biodegradable medical supplies, such as sutures, implants and drug delivery systems.
4. Textiles: PHA fibers can be used to make textiles, such as clothing, bags, etc., and have good degradability.
In general, PHA has excellent thermoplastic processability, biocompatibility and biodegradability, and is recognized as a green and environmentally friendly polymer material. At the same time, PHA’s barrier properties to water vapor and most gases in the air are similar to PET. It can be decomposed by microorganisms in almost all environments such as compost, soil, and seawater, and the decomposition products are mostly water and carbon-based, reducing the impact on the environment.
