Microtox assay to determine the toxicity of degradation products from degradable plastics

Johnson, Kenneth E.; Pometto, Anthony L.; Somasundaram, L.; Coats, Joel R.

doi:10.1007/bf01418204

Cited by 14 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Biodegradable plastics have been intensively studied in recent years1–6 and have been used commercially in various products such as garbage bags, composting yard bags, and grocery bags and for agricultural needs. Generally synthetic thermoplastics are blended with starch1–7 or natural fibers8–12 to make them environmentally friendly and degradable. Poly(vinyl alcohol) is one of the few degradable synthetic polymers13 available today.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) and starch composite films: Study of their physicomechanical, thermal, and swelling properties

Ramaraj

2006

J of Applied Polymer Sci

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Crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) was blended with 10, 20, 40, and 50 wt % starch by a solution-casting process. The solution-cast films were dried, and then their physicomechanical properties including tensile strength, tensile elongation, tensile modulus, tear strength and density, and burst strength and density were tested. Thermal analysis was performed by differential scanning calorimetry. A moisture analysis of the PVA/starch films was performed and their moisture content determined. Also investigated were the films'resistance to solubility in water, 5% acetic acid, 50% ethanol, and sunflower oil and their swelling characteristics in 50% ethanol and sunflower oil. The prepared PVA/starch blends showed significant improvement in tensile modulus and in resistance to solubility in water, 5% acetic acid, and 50% ethanol.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) and starch composite films: Study of their physicomechanical, thermal, and swelling properties

Ramaraj

2006

J of Applied Polymer Sci

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“…Increasing public concern over dwindling landfill space and accumulation of surface litter has promoted the development of degradable plastics. 10 A significant amount of plastics are used to package food products. Corn starchcontaining plastic film has no adverse effects on food quality or food safety, and so its use in food packaging could lead to decrease in petrochemical usage and increase in starch utilization.…”

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confidence: 99%

Low density polyethylene/starch blend films for food packaging applications

2004

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A series of low density polyethylene (LDPE)/starch blend films with starch content ranging from 2.5 to 50% were prepared by two methods, namely, solution blending followed by thermopress and extrusion methods. The LDPE/starch films prepared by both the methods were studied for physicomechanical properties such as density, tensile strength, elongation at break; barrier properties such as water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), gas transmission rate (GTR), and grease resistance; and optical properties such as percent transmittance, total diffuse, and haze. The LDPE/starch blend films were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy for chemical structure and by DSC for melt characterization. Food compatibility of the films was evaluated by overall migration in different food simulants. The rate of biodegradation was also evaluated for all the films. The surface morphology of LDPE/starch films was evaluated using SEM. The properties of LDPE/starch films prepared by both the methods were compared. C

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“…Toxicity of extracts can be determined using standard test methods, e.g., ISO (1993) and DIN (1991b) or, e.g., the 6 REVIEW Microtox method (Kwan and Dutka, 1992b;Tung et al, 1991;Johnson et al, 1993). The change in light intensity is compared with that of the control.…”

Section: Tests Based On Bioluminescencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Quality requirements for the compostability of biodegradable materials presuppose that the product does not include any harmful substances or degradation products derived from composted materials. The relative environmental safety of degradable plastic materials should be an important consideration during the development stages of these products (Johnson et al, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%