U.S.-Ireland R&D Partnership: Production-Application-Environmental Impact of Biodegradable Polymers Based on PHAs

Plastics pollution can impact ecosystems and human health, which makes the search for sustainable alternatives especially urgent. Global reliance on traditional plastics has contributed to greenhouse gas emissions and proliferation of microplastics in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Biodegradable plastics derived from polyhydroxyalkanoates, which are produced by microorganisms using renewable resources, offer a promising alternative to conventional plastics. This project will develop new biopolymers with enhanced functionality and controlled biodegradability. It will evaluate the environmental impact of these new materials, including their potential to reduce microplastic pollution and mitigate the spread of antimicrobial resistance. The project will support the field of sustainable materials by fostering collaborations between academia, industry. It will support educational opportunities and public engagement initiatives to help create a future science and engineering workforce. This project was submitted under the United States-Ireland-Northern Ireland R&D Partnership and is a collaboration between researchers at the University of Utah, University College Dublin, and Queen's College Belfast. The project will help reduce the impact of plastics pollution by enhancing the performance of chemically modifying polyhydroxyalkanoate-based plastics, evaluating the breakdown of these materials across various environmental conditions, and assessing the impact of biodegradable microplastics on the spread of antimicrobial resistance. The chemical modifications will be made by increasing unsaturation and grafting with other polymers, including polylactic acid, polystyrene, and polypropylene. The mechanical and thermal properties as well as degradation rates of this next generation of bioplastics will be evaluated in various environments including soil, compost, and wastewater biosolids. The project will use advanced microcosm experiments, molecular biology, and high-throughput sequencing to assess the impact of both the biopolymers and their degradation products and the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes. This comprehensive approach will provide critical insights into the environmental fate of biodegradable plastics and inform the design of materials that minimize ecological risks. The expected outcomes include novel environmentally neutral bioplastics, new methodologies for assessing their impact, and new knowledge to guide future innovations in sustainable polymer science. The project will also generate new knowledge about the environmental fate of biopolymers, ultimately supporting a shift toward safer and more responsible use of plastic materials. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.