Degradation of Plastics in Simulated Landfill Conditions

Quecholac-Piña, Xochitl; Consuelo, Hernández-Berriel María del; Consuelo, Mañón-Salas María del; María, Espinosa-Valdemar Rosa; Vázquez‐Morillas, Alethia

doi:10.3390/polym13071014

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 73 publications

(90 reference statements)

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“…These additives can comprise more than 30% of the mass of some plastics (Bridson et al 2021) and since most are not covalently bound to the polymer, these additives may leach readily, causing weight losses of the plastic material. Additionally, additives such as salts of manganese and iron may be added to 'oxo-degradable' plastics, acting as a catalyst for fragmentation yet polymer may not biodegrade, except over a very long time (Xochitl et al 2021). In this review, our interests lie in confirming the biological degradation of high molecular weight plastic polymers rather than losses of additives or fillers or from the shedding of micro-debris from compromised plastic surfaces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial abilities to degrade global environmental plastic polymer waste are overstated

Lear

Maday

Gambarini

et al. 2022

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Internationally, the environmental damage caused by the improper disposal of approximately 100 Mt of plastic waste per annum is of growing concern. Attempts to address this issue have generated many hundreds of scientific studies announcing the discovery of novel plastic-degrading microorganisms and their respective enzymes. On closer inspection, however, evidence remains sparse for the microbial degradation of most of the plastic polymers produced globally. We systematically surveyed the international literature to confirm how many microorganisms proposed to degrade plastics (n = 664) cause substantial (i.e.,  20% mass) losses of virgin polymer, rather than losses of plastic additives, filler, and/or shedding of polymer micro-fragments. Additionally, we noted where degradation was only demonstrated for artificially aged polymer since physicochemical ageing procedures increase the abundance of monomers and oligomers such that they may be degraded by microbial activity. Additionally, artificial ageing may introduce functional groups to the polymer backbone, creating more locations susceptible to microbial degradation than would otherwise occur in the environment. We identified multiple studies demonstrating the effective microbial degradation of heterochain plastic polymers such as polylactic acid, polycaprolactone and polyethylene terephthalate (i.e., polymers containing elements other than carbon in the backbone structure). However, in the literature, we find no evidence for the substantial degradation of unadulterated polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride, homochain polymers which represent the overwhelming majority of global plastics production. Current research demonstrates that the pre-treatment of plastics with elevated temperature or UV-light may speed physicochemical plastic degradation, with valuable applications for downstream microbial processing. However, evidence for the microbial degradation of most plastic polymers in current circulation is lacking. We outline simple criteria that should be met before announcing the microbial degradation of plastic polymers. We hope this may help to address largely unsubstantiated expectations that microorganisms can degrade many plastic polymers in situ.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial abilities to degrade global environmental plastic polymer waste are overstated

Lear

Maday

Gambarini

et al. 2022

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…Regardless, most degradable polymer technology is highly dependent on its environment to degrade and ultimately fail outside of the environment they are rated to be degraded in. For example, “compostable” polymers rated for a composting system, being an aerobic environment, versus a landfill which is highly anaerobic [ 42 ] ( Figure ).…”

Section: Polymer Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Polymer Degradation Across All Scales

Veskova

Sbordone

Frisch

2022

Macro Chemistry & Physics

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The development of sustainable plastic materials will be flanked with conscious resource management, waste recovery frameworks, and social change. Nonetheless, developing strategies toward controlled polymer degradation remains a key challenge—whether as a failsafe mechanism for materials that escape the resource recovery cycle, or where distinct degradation pathways are required for specific applications such as in the biomedical realm. This perspective highlights recent trends, challenges, and future strategies on three levels: 1) On the materials level, by the incorporation of enzymes into polymer materials that catalyze polymer degradation under benign conditions; 2) On the domain level, crystalline segments of polymer materials are often inert, even to enzymatically catalyzed degradation. Gaining an understanding of the mode of interaction between enzymes and polymer chains is key to controlling degradation of all polymer morphologies within materials. Processive depolymerization mechanisms, where the enzyme binds polymer chain ends and depolymerizes along the chain are extremely promising for efficient polymer degradation; 3) On the molecular level, where polyesters exhibit enzymatic targets of ester bonds through their polymer backbone, poly(alkene)s c of all carbon backbones. To enable degradation of this most abundant class of polymers, strategies must be developed to incorporate enzymatic targets into the backbone.

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“…Sementara itu, compostable plastic terfragmentasi, memiliki berat molekul yang lebih rendah pada akhir percobaan, dan mengurangi keberadaan ikatan C=O, degradasi ini berlangsung jauh lebih lambat dari yang diharapkan dari proses pengomposan. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa plastik oxo-degradable dan compostable plastic tidak akan mudah terurai di TPA (Xochitl et al, 2014).…”

Section: Latar Belakangunclassified

Perancangan Sistem Lisimeter untuk Pengujian Biodegradibilitas Sampah Bioplastik

FANI¹,

Sarkiwan²,

SURYANTO³

et al. 2022

Jurtekling

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Bioplastics can be tested aerobically and anaerobically using the standard test procedures. ASTM D5338, ASTM D5988, ASTM G21, ASTM D6954, ASTM D6400, and ISO can be used for the aerobic tests, whereas ASTM D5210 or ASTM D5526 can be used for the standard anaerobic tests. The lysimeter system's design test is presented as an alternate biodegradability test technique for testing biodegradable polymers under anaerobic conditions in Indonesian circumstances. The proposed biodegradable plastic test design has the advantage of simulating conditions in a landfill system which is directly exposed to the local weather in anaerobically. The density of the type of waste in the lysimeter is adjusted to the density of the waste in the landfill. The lysimeter is also designed to be easily in the preparation, operation and performance monitoring stages of the lysimeter, as well as monitoring gas production and characterization of plastic. The design of this lysimeter is expected to be used to determine the level of anaerobic plastic biodegradability. Keywords: lysimeter, biodegradability test, bioplastics ABSTRAK Metoda uji standar untuk uji bioplastik dapat dilakukan baik secara aerobik maupun anaerobik. Untuk uji secara aerobik dapat dilakukan dengan mengacu kepada ASTM D5338 ASTM D5988; ASTM G21, ASTM D6954, ASTM D6400 dan ISO, sedangkan untuk standar uji anaerobik dapat dilakukan dengan ASTM D5210 atau ASTM D5526. Tujuan dari perancangan sistem lisimeter ini diusulkan sebagai salah satu metode uji biodegradibilitas alternatif untuk uji biodegradable plastic pada kondisi anaerobik sesuai dengan kondisi alam di Indonesia. Kelebihan dari rancangan uji biodegradable plastic yang diusulkan merupakan mimikri dari kondisi di TPA yang terekspos langsung oleh cuaca setempat. Kepadatan sampah di dalam lisimeter disesuaikan mendekati kepadatan sampah di TPA. Lisimeter juga dirancang agar mudah dalam tahap persiapan, pengoperasin maupun pengamatan kinerja lisimeter.serta monitoring produksi gasnya. Diharapkan rancangan lisimeter ini dapat digunakan untuk mengetahui tingkat degradibilitas plastik dalam kondisi anaerobik. Kata kunci : lisimeter, uji biodegradalitas, bioplastik

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Degradation of Plastics in Simulated Landfill Conditions

Cited by 19 publications

References 73 publications

Microbial abilities to degrade global environmental plastic polymer waste are overstated

Microbial abilities to degrade global environmental plastic polymer waste are overstated

Trends in Polymer Degradation Across All Scales

Perancangan Sistem Lisimeter untuk Pengujian Biodegradibilitas Sampah Bioplastik

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