Biodegradation of waste PET based copolyesters in thermophilic anaerobic sludge

Hermanová, Soňa; Šmejkalová, Pavla; Merna, Jan; Zarevúcká, Marie

doi:10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2014.11.007

Cited by 24 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…The addition of additives that promote abiotic oxidation to transform them into oxodegradable plastics did not promote biodegradation of PE and PETE [106]. On the other hand, PETE-PLA copolymers reached 34-69% mineralization, depending on the starting aromatic to aliphatic ratio [107]. Similarly, the use of starch in composites with PE only promoted biodegradation of the bio-based polymer [102].…”

Section: Anaerobic Digestionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…In those cases, the assessment of the process is usually done by the direct analysis of the physical or chemical properties of the polymers [102]. The analyzed properties include loss of mass, loss of mechanical properties, changes in the thermal behavior of the materials, microbial colonization of the surface observed by scanning electron microscopy, presence of specific functional groups measured by infrared spectroscopy, or decrease in molecular weight, assessed by gel permeation or exclusion chromatography, among others [86,87,91,[103][104][105][106][107]. While these techniques can give evidence of degradation, they do not allow for the obtaining od a quantitative measurement of degradation or to distinguish between degradation caused by microorganisms and other types of degradation processes.…”

Section: Analytical Techniques Used To Assess Plastic Degradation Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…electron microscopy, presence of specific functional groups measured by infrared spectroscopy, or decrease in molecular weight, assessed by gel permeation or exclusion chromatography, among others [87,88,92,[104][105][106][107][108]. While these techniques can give evidence of degradation, they do not allow for the obtaining od a quantitative measurement of degradation or to distinguish between degradation caused by microorganisms and other types of degradation processes.…”

Section: Analytical Techniques Used To Assess Plastic Degradation Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conventional plastics, such as cellulose acetate [115], have shown negligible biodegradation, as well as PETE [107]. The feasibility of biodegradation of PVC was obtained only if the plastic was subjected previously to a Fenton oxidation process [93].…”

Section: Anaerobic Digestionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Degradation of Plastics under Anaerobic Conditions: A Short Review

et al. 2020

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Plastic waste is an issue of global concern because of the environmental impact of its accumulation in waste management systems and ecosystems. Biodegradability was proposed as a solution to overcome this problem; however, most biodegradable plastics were designed to degrade under aerobic conditions, ideally fulfilled in a composting plant. These new plastics could arrive to anaerobic environments, purposely or frequently, because of their mismanagement at the end of their useful life. This review analyzes the behavior of biodegradable and conventional plastics under anaerobic conditions, specifically in anaerobic digestion systems and landfills. A review was performed in order to identify: (a) the environmental conditions found in anaerobic digestion processes and landfills, as well as the mechanisms for degradation in those environments; (b) the experimental methods used for the assessment of biodegradation in anaerobic conditions; and (c) the extent of the biodegradation process for different plastics. Results show a remarkable variability of the biodegradation rate depending on the type of plastic and experimental conditions, with clearly better performance in anaerobic digestion systems, where temperature, water content, and inoculum are strictly controlled. The majority of the studied plastics showed that thermophilic conditions increase degradation. It should not be assumed that plastics designed to be degraded aerobically will biodegrade under anaerobic conditions, and an exact match must be done between the specific plastics and the end of life options that they will face.

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Section: Anaerobic Digestionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Analytical Techniques Used To Assess Plastic Degradation Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analytical Techniques Used To Assess Plastic Degradation Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Anaerobic Digestionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Degradation of Plastics under Anaerobic Conditions: A Short Review

et al. 2020

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“…Significant efforts have been extended to developing an understanding of the enzymatic activity of high-performing candidate enzymes through selection processes, mechanistic probes, and enzyme engineering. In addition to hydrolytic enzymes already identified, enzymes found in thermophilic anaerobic sludge were found to degrade PET copolymers formed into beverage bottles [103].…”

Section: Polyethylene Terephthalatementioning

confidence: 98%

Biological Degradation of Polymers in the Environment

Glaser¹

2019

Plastics in the Environment

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Polymers present to modern society remarkable performance characteristics desired by a wide range of consumers but the fate of polymers in the environment has become a massive management problem. Polymer applications offer molecular structures attractive to product engineers desirous of prolonged lifetime properties. These characteristics also figure prominently in the environmental lifetimes of polymers or plastics. Recently, reports of microbial degradation of polymeric materials offer new emerging technological opportunities to modify the enormous pollution threat incurred through use of polymers/plastics. A significant literature exists from which developmental directions for possible biological technologies can be discerned. Each report of microbial mediated degradation of polymers must be characterized in detail to provide the database from which a new technology developed. Part of the development must address the kinetics of the degradation process and find new approaches to enhance the rate of degradation. The understanding of the interaction of biotic and abiotic degradation is implicit to the technology development effort.

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