Microbial degradation of four biodegradable polymers in soil and compost demonstrating polycaprolactone as an ideal compostable plastic

Asma Said Khalid Al Hosni, Jon Pittman, Geoffrey Robson

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    Abstract

    Plastics are an indispensable material but also a major environmental pollutant.  In contrast, biodegradable polymers have the potential to be compostable. The  biodegradation of four polymers as discs, polycaprolactone (PCL),  polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(1,4 butylene) succinate (PBS) was compared in soil and compost over a period of more than 10 months at 25°C, 37°C and 50°C. Degradation rates varied between the polymers and incubation temperatures but PCL showed the fastest degradation rate under all conditions and was completely degraded when buried in compost and incubated at 50°C after 91 days. Furthermore, PCL strips showed a significant reduction in tensile strength in just 2 weeks when incubated in compost > 45°C. Various fungal strains growing on the polymer surfaces were identified by sequence analysis. Aspergillus fumigatus was most commonly found at 25°C and 37°C, while Thermomyces lanuginosus, which was abundant at 50°C, was associated with PCL degradation.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)105-114
    JournalWaste Management
    Volume97
    Early online date6 Aug 2019
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2019

    Keywords

    • Aspergillus fumigatus
    • Biodegradation
    • Compostable plastics
    • Polycaprolactone
    • Thermomyces lanuginosus

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