Ensuring Environmental Safety and Economic Benefits from the Use of Biodegradable Materials Based on Low‐Density Polyethylene with Natural Rubber Additives as Products with a Short Service Life

Abstract

As part of the research, the authors proposed a recipe and production technology for a line of biodegradable materials based on low density polyethylene with different content of natural rubber. The advantages of using such materials include their high operational physical and mechanical properties, which make it possible to create a wide range of various products from these materials, as well as their high biodegradability in soil. So for the composition PE/NR‐50/50, the weight loss in the soil within 18 months was more than 40%. In addition, using the example of the composition PE/NR‐50/50, the authors carried out calculations of the efficiency of organizing the production of material according to the developed recipe, which showed a high investment attractiveness of the implementation of such a project.

Biodegradability of Polyolefin-Based Compositions: Effect of Natural Rubber

“…This fact stimulates the search for new materials for creating polymer composites with characteristics acceptable for their commercial use. As studies show [ 12 , 34 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ] natural rubber (NR) additives have great potential for use as a component for initiating biodegradation processes in composites based on PE and other polymers [ 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 ]. NR-doped composites can be quite susceptible to biodegradation by a wide variety of microorganisms, including a wide variety of bacteria and molds [ 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 ].…”

“…Another criterion for assessing the biodegradability of composite materials based on PE/NR is the study of the rate of water absorption by the samples. Indeed, an increased degree of water absorption promotes the penetration of the metabolic products of microorganisms (acids and enzymes) into polymeric materials, which, in turn, leads to the hydrolysis of NR [ 12 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ]. The hydrolysis products have a lower molecular weight and a higher diffusion coefficient through the polymer matrix, and therefore they are able to leave polymer samples, which leads to a loss of material mass.…”

“…As the authors of Ref. [ 12 ] point out, the biodegradation of PE/NR composites is a complex process that includes several stages. It is known that bioassimilation and subsequent degradation of polymer materials begins with adhesion and attachment of fungal spores to the polymer surface.…”

“…Attempts to create fully biodegradable polymers with attractive manufacturing costs for commercial use and acceptable performance to replace polyolefins were so far unsuccessful. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the best solution to the problem of environmental pollution with plastic waste is the development of technologies for converting existing and commercially used plastics into biodegradable [ 7 , 12 ]. Thus, the modification of a synthetic polymer matrix by introducing additives that initiate the rapid degradation of the polymer makes it possible to obtain new composite materials with increased biodegradability at the end of their life cycle, see Figure 1 b.…”

“…At the same time, it is expected that the commercial profitability of the production of such composite materials will be quite high due to the absence of expensive synthesis steps in the production cycle [ 12 ]. In this case, the presence of a synthetic polymer in the composition of the composite determines the required operational and technological properties, as well as the possibility of secondary use.…”