Open Access

REVIEW

Advancing a Circular Bioeconomy through the Microbial Synthesis of Eco-Friendly Plastics from Marine Sources

Nurul Afifah Mohd Kamal Rufadzil¹, Siti Nor Syairah Anis², Sevakumaran Vigneswari^1,*

1 Malaysia Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
2 School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11700 Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

* Corresponding Author: Sevakumaran Vigneswari. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Development and Application of Biodegradable Plastics)

Journal of Polymer Materials 2026, 43(3), 3 https://doi.org/10.32604/jpm.2026.079186

Received 16 January 2026; Accepted 12 May 2026; Issue published 24 September 2026

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of plastic pollution demands strategies for sustainable biodegradable plastic production. Marine bacteria can be found on all continents able to survive in a variety of salinity levels and may be used to biosynthesis polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which can serve as a bioplastic substitute for conventional petroleum-based plastics. This paper presents a literature review and case study examining marine PHAs-producing microorganisms in the context of a circular bioeconomy and waste management. More specifically, it examines the marine PHA-producing bacteria's ability to utilise varying and renewable carbon substrates for PHA biosynthesis. From prior research studies, it was found that diversity of marine bacteria possesses the ability to produce short-chain length (scl-PHA) and medium-chain length (mcl-PHA) types of PHAs, leading to wide potential applications. The integration of marine bacterial processes not only mitigates waste and pollution in the environment but also contributes to carbon cycling through the conversion of greenhouse gases into valuable biopolymers. This demonstrates the importance of marine microbes for bioplastic production and reinforces the need for the use of marine biota in the management of bioplastics to achieve a sustainable and circular economy.

---

Keywords

---