Photo-biodegradable plastics

  • Gerald Scott
Chapter

Summary

The technical requirements of degradable plastics are considered in the light of public concerns about their use and misuse in waste and litter control. Essential requirements are that the degradation process should be controllable and that it should lead to lower molar mass oxidation products which can be assimilated by microorganisms to give biomass and ultimately carbon dioxide and water. It is shown that certain types of antioxidant, notably the transition metal dithiocarbamates, after fulfilling their stabilizing function during the manufacture and service life of the polymer-based products (e.g. mulching films, binder twines and some packaging), undergo inversion of activity and catalyse the photooxidation and thermooxidation of the polymer, thus returning it to the biological cycle.

The popular belief that hydrocarbon polymers do not biodegrade at molar mass above 500 is shown to be based on a misinterpretation of earlier work. Bioerosion of carboxylic acids, the oxidation products of polyolefins, occurs at the surface of polyethylene and these act as nutrients for the growth of nonpathogenic bacteria and fungi in the absence of any other source of carbon.

Keywords

Induction Period Microbial Attack Mulch Film Degradable Polymer Degradable Material 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 1995

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  • Gerald Scott

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