A new process of production of biodegradable polymer poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs) was studied with Alcaligenes eutrophus using volatile fatty acids (VFA) from acidified wastewater. The process was divided into two distinct stages, cell growth with fructose and PHAs polymerization with VFA. Cell growth was much better with fructose than with VFA. After using fructose for growth, A. eutrophus utilized VFA as the substrate to polymerization. The concentration of PHAs reached 16.7 g/l by fed-batch cultivation. Using VFA from acidified wastewater, A. eutrophus had a good performance for polymerization, and the concentration of cell and PHAs in broth reached 15.9 and 9.6 g/l, respectively. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.