Unlike traditional fossil-based plastics, PHAs are made from totally renewable resources. At the end of their life cycle, they break down naturally in soil or water without leaving behind harmful microplastics or other long-term environmental contaminants.

PHAs can be made from a wide range of different feedstocks found in sources such as agricultural byproducts or wastewater, including:

• Methane and carbon dioxide gases
• Alcohols such as methanol and ethanol
• Carbohydrates, including glucose, fructose, starch, and cellulose

Different feedstocks produce different varieties of PHA. Over 150 different PHAs have been identified.

While PHA is far from the only alternative to traditional plastics, what makes it unique among bioplastics is:

• Comparable performance and durability, barrier properties, and thermal stability to traditional plastics
• A wider range of possible physical characteristics, from high rigidity to high elasticity
• Full compostability and biodegradability

Yes, when produced properly and with the appropriate purification processes, PHAs can reach medical grade.

PHAs are not only biodegradable but bioresorbable (or bioabsorbable), non-toxic, and allergen-free. What this means is that PHAs will also harmlessly break down within the human body without triggering immune responses or leaving behind microplastics.

PHAs can be used for both single-use medical tools, short-term in vivo applications, and long-term implants.

The last thing anybody wants is for an important implant to degrade in their body while they still need it. This is where the wide variety of PHAs comes in.

By selecting types of PHAs and blending them together, different “recipes” can provide a wide range of different physical characteristics, running the gamut from full rigidity to full elasticity, full opacity to optical transparency, etc. This includes biodegradability.

All PHAs biodegrade, but some will last longer than others. A flavour of PHA with a lifespan of days may be more ideal for stents or sutures, while a flavour of PHA with a lifespan of years or decades is more appropriate for a joint implant.

Manufacturers can use PHAs in much the same way they would use traditional petroleum-based plastics. Recipes can be fine-tuned to make a batch of PHA more suitable for various methods of industrial production, including:

• Extrusion
• Injection Molding
• 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing
• Thermoforming
• Fiber spinning
• Film casting

Because PHAs are produced from bacterial fermentation, producing them contributes far fewer carbon emissions than traditional plastics. 

On top of that, in the event that a PHA-containing product must be disposed of, such as the incineration of contaminated single-use medical tools, the disposal process also contributes fewer carbon emissions.

As a result, PHAs are very environmentally friendly from production to disposal.