Biodegradation Process: Basics, Factors Affecting, and Industrial Applications

Koh, Lai Mun; Khor, Sook Mei

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-09710-2_66

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…To assess whether the reactive melt processing and pulp fibers influence PBAT biodegradation, disintegration under composting conditions was carried out following the ISO 20200:2015 standard (Figures c and S7 in Supporting Information). The weight loss over 90 days of industrial composting shows that cross-linking increases PBAT disintegration rate, as a consequence of the larger polydispersity, as low molecular weight polyester chains are more readily available for microorganisms to biodegrade thus catalyzing the PBAT disintegration (Figure d). Similar results have been reported for PCL biodegradation, enhanced by radiation cross-linking .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reusable, Recyclable, and Biodegradable Heat-Shrinkable Melt Cross-Linked Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/Pulp Biocomposites for Polyvinyl Chloride Replacement

Avella,

Salse,

Sessini

et al. 2024

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

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Heat-shrinkable films are widely used as disposable secondary packaging but are conventionally made from fossilbased and nonbiodegradable polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene. To lower the environmental impact of such products, this work reports the development of recyclable, biodegradable, and partially biosourced heat-shrinkable biocomposites that are costcompetitive with existing shrink wraps. Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate), a growing biodegradable thermoplastic, was simultaneously reinforced with pulp fibers and partially cross-linked in a single-step reactive melt processing. The designed peroxideinitiated reaction led to a 55 wt % cocontinuous insoluble gel incorporating all the pulp fibers into a cross-linked polymer network. In the solid state, the cross-linked biocomposite shows 60% elongation at break with a 200% increase in Young's modulus, while the only addition of pulp fibers stiffens and embrittles the matrix. Creep tests in the melt state indicated that the cross-linked network induces homogeneous shrinking even during the loading phase, demonstrating the potential use of the biocomposites as heatshrinkable films. The shrinking also promotes the shape-memory of the biocomposite, which retains its dimensions after four cycles. The circularity of the materials was assessed by mechanical recycling and industrial composting, which have proven feasible end-oflife options for heat-shrinkable biocomposites.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reusable, Recyclable, and Biodegradable Heat-Shrinkable Melt Cross-Linked Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/Pulp Biocomposites for Polyvinyl Chloride Replacement

Avella,

Salse,

Sessini

et al. 2024

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

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show abstract

“…115 Ultimate biodegradation can be influenced by a myriad of factors including structural features of the polymer, specifically, carbon chain length, functional group variation and charge density. 116 To further add complexity to the challenge of predicting polymer biodegradation, the impact of the end-oflife environment of the material can be profound, with large differences in degradation kinetics for some polymers depending on the enviromment. 117 Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), for instance, is recognised to degrade rapidly under aerobic composting conditions but solid samples of PLA incubated in seawater display little to no degradation over timescales of over one year.…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Biodegradationmentioning

confidence: 99%