๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐ข๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ
Every year, hundreds of millions of tonnes of petrochemical-based plastics are produced, much of which ends up in the environment or is incinerated. This exacerbates greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental crisis caused by plastic pollution. Now, a study led by the University of Barcelona has produced a biodegradable bioplastic of high industrial value — polyhydroxybutyrate or PHB — from unprocessed potato starch in a single 24-hour step, a strategic breakthrough that could help reduce dependence on oil and the volume of persistent plastic waste. The study thus establishes that the bacterium Bacillus subtilis is a robust platform of great industrial interest for producing PHB — a biodegradable biopolymer derived from renewable sources — from potato starch, an abundant and low-cost agricultural by-product. The paper, published in the journal Bioresource Technology, is led by Pere Picart, a professor at the UB’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, with significant contributions...
