Poly ((Beta)-hydroxy-butanoate), is a polypropylene like biopolymer, that is biodegradable. Advantages i guess is that it's biodegradable, and maybe the disadvantages is that polypropylene is more of a petrochemical substance, and its more economic, since it's using crude oil.
PHB can be used for disposables, like nappies and packagings, and also for medical and hospital utilities.
a culture of microofganism of Alcaligenes eutrophus is fed with nutrients, but limiting one of them so they can't reproduce. It will then attempt to store it's nutrients in the form of PHB. It can produce30 - 80% of its own dry weight. Then the organism is harvested and the PHB separated.
I hope by typing that I also get to remember that better in my brain