| Hot Chloroform Extraction | Lysozyme Sonication | French Press | Hypochlorite | |
| PHA content (% dry weight) | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.6 |
| Isolated PHA (% dry weight) | 12.5 | 9.7 | 7.7 | 12.1 |
| Recovery % | 92 | 71 | 58 | 89 |
| Mw (x 10-6) | 1.5 | 0.92 | 0.65 | 0.94 |
| Mn (x 10-6) | 1.1 | 0.36 | 0.46 | 0.37 |
| Mw / Mn (Polydispersity) | 1.4 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 2.5 |
During the early 1990s, annual production of PHAs was just several hundred tonnes. In 1996 Zeneca, the main producer has stopped producing PHBV and sold the assets to Monsanto and Astra. Currently, the market for biodegradable material is largest in Scandi navia and other European countries, where companies are willing to pay up to pounds 4 per kg for PHAs. The estimate given in table below is based on the development of a composting infrastructure, which is now becoming highly developed in many parts of Eu rope, particularly in Germany, Holland and Belgium.
Western European market estimates for biodegradable plastics (tonnes per annum) -
| Applications | Conventional Resins | Biodegradable Resins |
| Waste Disposal Bags for Composting | - | 30 000 |
| Disposable Fast Food Utensils | 100 000 | 50 000 |
| Hygiene Films | 110 000 | 20 000 |
| Paper Coatings | 420 000 | 40 000 |
| Agricultural Sector | 65 000 | 30 000 |
| Total | 695 000 | 170 000 |
| Source - BASF |
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