Effect of morphology and molecular orientation on environmental water biodegradability of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyvalerate]

Komiyama, Katsuya; Omura, Taku; Iwata, Tadahisa

doi:10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2021.109719

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These tests also investigate the effects of specific particle size, surface area, and shape on biodegradation (César et al, 2009;Chinaglia et al, 2018;Hino et al, 2023). In addition, polymer crystals (Nishida and Tokiwa, 1992;Nishida and Tokiwa, 1993), lamellar thickness (Koyama and Doi, 1997;Abe et al, 1998), and molecular orientation (Cai et al, 1996;Yoo and Im, 1999;Cho et al, 2003;Fischer et al, 2004;Komiyama et al, 2021) are some parameters that affect the degradation rate of biodegradable plastics. Therefore, the rate of biodegradation could be controlled by adjusting these parameters.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine biodegradation of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate] elastic fibers in seawater: dependence of decomposition rate on highly ordered structure

Omura,

Tsujimoto,

Kimura

et al. 2023

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Here, we report the marine degradability of polymers with highly ordered structures in natural environmental water using microbial degradation and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) tests. Three types of elastic fibers (non-porous as-spun, non-porous drawn, and porous drawn) with different highly ordered structures were prepared using poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-16 mol%-4-hydroxybutyrate] [P(3HB-co-16 mol%-4HB)], a well-known polyhydroxyalkanoate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicated that microorganisms attached to the fiber surface within several days of testing and degraded the fiber without causing physical disintegration. The results of BOD tests revealed that more than 80% of P(3HB-co-16 mol%-4HB) was degraded by microorganisms in the ocean. The plastisphere was composed of a wide variety of microorganisms, and the microorganisms accumulated on the fiber surfaces differed from those in the biofilms. The microbial degradation rate increased as the degree of molecular orientation and porosity of the fiber increased: as-spun fiber < non-porous drawn fiber < porous drawn fiber. The drawing process induced significant changes in the highly ordered structure of the fiber, such as molecular orientation and porosity, without affecting the crystallinity. The results of SEM observations and X-ray measurements indicated that drawing the fibers oriented the amorphous chains, which promoted enzymatic degradation by microorganisms.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine biodegradation of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate] elastic fibers in seawater: dependence of decomposition rate on highly ordered structure

Omura,

Tsujimoto,

Kimura

et al. 2023

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The total numbers of viable bacteria in the environmental water were counted through the plate count method. 26 Microbes were cultured in a nutrient medium. First, 23.5 g of "Daigo" (Wako, Japan) was added to 1 L of the distilled water samples to prepare agar plates.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The total numbers of viable bacteria in the environmental water were counted through the plate count method . Microbes were cultured in a nutrient medium.…”

Section: Experimental Sectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elastic Marine Biodegradable Fibers Produced from Poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutylate-co-4-hydroxybutylate] and Evaluation of Their Biodegradability

Omura

Komiyama

Maehara

et al. 2021

ACS Appl. Polym. Mater.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Marine biodegradable fibers with high strength and elasticity were successfully fabricated from microbial polyesters using a melt-spinning method. Polymers were melted at temperatures lower than the constituent melting temperatures, and the obtained fibers were stretched at room temperature. The molecular weights of the fibers processed by this melt-spinning method remained unchanged, suggesting that the developed approach is very effective for polyhydroxyalkanoates, which typically exhibit low thermal stability during the melting process. The obtained fibers had tensile strengths >200 MPa and elongation at break of ∼200%, making them comparable to nonbiodegradable elastic fibers processed from polyethylene and polypropylene. It was confirmed that these fibers were completely degraded by both seawater from Tokyo Bay and freshwater from Sanshiro Pond after less than 1 month. Interestingly, periodically stacked lamellar structures of 200 nm that comprised at least 30 lamellae were generated following the biodegradation of the amorphous region of the fiber surface.

show abstract

“…[441] Compared to PLA, the hydrolysis of PHAs such as PHB and PHBH is markedly faster, nevertheless, degradation in seawater requires improvements achievable by re-designing the molecular architectures, compounding, and tuning additive packages containing prodegradants, for example, readily-degrading, water-soluble fillers such as starch and PVA. [414,435,[442][443][444][445][446][447][448][449] The development of seawater-degradable plastics is a challenge and requires careful balancing of rapid hydrolysis in saltwater with slow hydrolysis when exposed to humidity during service life and mechanical recycling. In the future, a better understanding of interactions between polymers and microorganisms could realize the dream of degradation-by-design and biodegradation-on-demand via biologically triggered molecular switches built into polymers or their additives.…”

Section: Biodegradable Plasticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Closing the Carbon Loop in the Circular Plastics Economy

Schirmeister

Mülhaupt

2022

Macromol. Rapid Commun.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Today, plastics are ubiquitous in everyday life, problem solvers of modern technologies, and crucial for sustainable development. Yet the surge in global demand for plastics of the growing world population has triggered a tidal wave of plastic debris in the environment. Moving from a linear to a zero‐waste and carbon‐neutral circular plastic economy is vital for the future of the planet. Taming the plastic waste flood requires closing the carbon loop through plastic reuse, mechanical and molecular recycling, carbon capture, and use of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. In the quest for eco‐friendly products, plastics do not need to be reinvented but tuned for reuse and recycling. Their full potential must be exploited regarding energy, resource, and eco‐efficiency, waste prevention, circular economy, climate change mitigation, and lowering environmental pollution. Biodegradation holds promise for composting and bio‐feedstock recovery, but it is neither the Holy Grail of circular plastics economy nor a panacea for plastic littering. As an alternative to mechanical downcycling, molecular recycling enables both closed‐loop recovery of virgin plastics and open‐loop valorization, producing hydrogen, fuels, refinery feeds, lubricants, chemicals, and carbonaceous materials. Closing the carbon loop does not create a Perpetuum Mobile and requires renewable energy to achieve sustainability.

show abstract

Effect of morphology and molecular orientation on environmental water biodegradability of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyvalerate]

Cited by 11 publications

References 25 publications

Marine biodegradation of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate] elastic fibers in seawater: dependence of decomposition rate on highly ordered structure

Marine biodegradation of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate] elastic fibers in seawater: dependence of decomposition rate on highly ordered structure

Elastic Marine Biodegradable Fibers Produced from Poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutylate-co-4-hydroxybutylate] and Evaluation of Their Biodegradability

Closing the Carbon Loop in the Circular Plastics Economy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About