8 May 2026, 10:30AM (CEST)
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) represent one of the most promising classes of bio‑based and biodegradable polymers, yet their widespread use is still hindered by high production costs. Current market prices remain significantly higher than those of petroleum‑based plastics, largely due to the reliance on pure cultures, energy‑intensive downstream operations. In particular, the extraction and purification steps represent the major bottleneck in PHA production.
Within the Agriloop project, UNIROMA team investigated a continuous‑flow process using mixed microbial cultures (MMC) for PHA production. The system was operated with a synthetic mixture of carboxylic acids (acetic and propionic acids, 75% and 25% based on Chemical Oxygen Demand, COD, respectively) to stimulate the accumulation of poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate, PHBV) with a targeted HV monomer fraction (ca. 15–35 %, wt/wt). The resulting PHBV‑rich biomass was collected and stabilized using acid treatment in order to prevent polymer consumption. Then, the enriched biomass was used to test innovative strategies for polymer recovery. In collaboration with other partners (i.e., CSIC and ENTO), three strategies were applied on PHA-enriched biomass: green solvent extraction with Ethyl Acetate, predatory bacteria treatment, and larvae digestion.
All these strategies will be described during the webinar session highlighting how these novel approaches provide more sustainable and less toxic alternatives to conventional PHA recovery methods based on chlorinated solvents.
Agenda
1. Welcome and introduction – including speaker introductions and summary of the work of Work Package 3 within the Agriloop project and Task 3.4
2. UNIROMA PHA introduction and alkaline treatment for polymer recovery (5 min)
- Introduction of PHA production by MMC and alkaline treatment
Speaker: Gaia Salvatori & Lionel Nguemna Tayou
3. UNIROMA presentation on green solvent extraction (10 min)
- Effect of Ethyl Acetate on PHA recovery
Speaker: Gaia Salvatori & Lionel Nguemna Tayou
4. CSIC presentation on PHA extraction by Predatory Bacteria (10 min)
- Predatory Bacteria for PHA recovery
Speaker: Ana María Hernández Arriaga
5. ENTO presentation on digestion with Larvae (10 min)
- Digestion with larvae of PHA-enriched biomass
Speaker: Juan Antonio Cortes Ortiz
6. Q&A Session (20 min)
- Open discussion and technical questions
Who should attend?
Researchers and biorefinery operators
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