Many bacteria have been found to synthesize a family of polyesters termed polyhydroxyalkanoate

abbreviated asPHA. Some interesting physical properties of PHAs such as piezoelectricity

non-linear optical activity

biocompatibility andbiodegradability offer promising applications in areas such as degradable packaging

tissue engineering and drag delivery.Over 90 PHAs with various structure variations have been reported and the number is still increasing. The mechanical property of PHAs changes from brittle to flexible to elastic

depending on the side-chainlength of PHA.Many attempts have been made to produce PHAs as biodegradable plastics using various microorganisms obtained from screening natural environments

genetic engineering and mutation.Due to the high production cost

PHAs still can not compete with the nondegradable plastics

such as polyethylene and polypropylene.Various processes have been developed using low cost raw materials for fermentation and an inorganic extraction process for PHA purification.However

a super PHA production strain may play the most critical role for any large-scale PHA production.Our recent study showed that PHA synthesis is a common phenomenon among bacteria inhabiting various locations

especially oil-contaminated soils.This is very important for finding a suitable bacterial strain for PHA production.In fact

PHA production strains capable of rapid growth and rapid PHA synthesis on cheap molasses substrate have been found on molasses contaminated soils.A combination of novel properties and lower cost will allow easier commercialization of PHA for many applications.