# Microbial Biopolymers: From Production to Environmental Applications--A Review
## 7 Challenges and Future Perspectives of Microbial Biopolymers in Environmental Applications  
Microbial polymers are an attractive substitute for chemically derived materials. However, scaling up their production from a laboratory to an industrial scale is very challenging. Several variables--notably the cost of substrates, the amount of biopolymer produced over feed rate, and the expenditures of downstream processing, among others--determine how successfully biopolymers may be scaled up and if they are economically feasible to produce at an industrial scale [14]. The major challenges in the process are the production cost and the extraction of a pure biopolymer from a complex mixture. Acquiring microorganisms that can use inexpensive as well as easily accessible raw ingredients is a crucial phase in making microbial biopolymer manufacturing economically viable [399]. Using waste raw material for biopolymer production is very attractive and can largely address the issue of the high cost of raw ingredients. Moreover, the use of genetically modified strains andomics techniques to enhance the fermentation yield could greatly help to minimize the overall production cost [400].  
The dewatering process of biomass following its cultivation represents one of the foremost operational expenditures in polymer recovery. Undoubtedly, one of the most popular approaches for this is settling. Gravitational settling is the most straightforward and inexpensive method, but due to the small molecule size of microbial biopolymers, filtering by membranes could potentially be employed, accompanied by centrifugation. However, it should be accurately optimized to limit the enhancement of operation costs [401].  
In general, optimizing bioprocess at a pilot scale, coupled with techno-economic analysis, could help in resolving many industrial challenges.  
In silico methods should be also employed to simulate the production and secretion of bacterial polymers based on the huge availability of data. This could offer valuable insights into the regulatory framework required for their safe application--a framework that is absent at present [400].  
Moreover, legislative and policy unpredictability could make it challenging to meet environmental goals. Uncertainty alters the political economics of environmental policy. The acceptability, development, and scalability of microbial biopolymers also depend upon the system. The system is comprised network of actors (business organizations, research groups, policymakers, and regulatory bodies). In a nutshell, the setting up of new supply chain-hosting actors requires a lengthy approach to the development and implementation of novel economic models, among other aspects [402]. Last but not least, environmental applications come with the challenges of handling data that require computation and vast information storage units. [PERSON] et al. [403] commented on the features of big data, referring to the 5V principle (Volume of data, Velocity of data accumulation, Variety of data by different sources, Validity and precision of data, Value and Purpose of data). Numerous environmental applications will be more efficiently utilized by the correct mathematical framework and its mapping across different computational systems [403]. A deep understanding of the interaction between diverse ecosystem complexities and environmental and biodiversity uncertainties is required, which makes it challenging to design a model to anticipate and adapt to changes in the future to produce desirable outcomes [404; 405].