Fundamentals of Polymer Biodegradation Mechanisms

Joseph, Ebin; Tohidifar, Payman; Sarver, Cara T.; Mackie, Roderick I.; Rao, Christopher V.

doi:10.1002/9783527827589.ch2

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 177 publications

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“…Biodegradable polymers are defined as polymers that undergo deterioration via enzymatic cleavage of the polymer backbone and are microbially metabolized into simple natural products. , The first enzymatic degradation step depolymerizes biodegradable polymers into oligomers and monomers. Microbial take up and then metabolize these small degradative products and produce primary and secondary metabolites, followed by the mineralization of metabolites into simple products, such as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane, and water.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Oligomers Derived from Biodegradable Polyesters on Eco- and Neurotoxicity

et al. 2023

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Biodegradable polymers are eco-friendly materials and have attracted attention for use in a sustainable society because they are not accumulated in the environment. Although the characteristics of biodegradable polymers have been assessed well, the effects of their degradation products have not. Herein, we comprehensively evaluated the chemical toxicities of biodegradable polyester, polycaprolactone (PCL), and synthetic oligocaprolactones (OCLs) with different degrees of polymerization. While the PCL did not show any adverse effects on various organisms, high levels of shorter OCLs and the monomer (1 μg/mL for freshwater microorganisms and 1 mg/mL for marine algae and mammalian cells) damaged the tested organisms, including freshwater microorganisms, marine algae, and mammalian cells, which indicated the toxicities of the degradation products under unnaturally high concentrations. These results highlight the need for a further understanding of the effects of the degradation products resulting from biodegradable polyesters to ensure a genuinely sustainable society.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%