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Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture

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Published on: May 10, 2013

Evaluation of biodegradation-promoting additives for plastics.

Susan Selke¹, Rafael Auras¹, Tuan Anh Nguyen¹

¹†School of Packaging, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States.

Environmental Science & Technology

|February 28, 2015

Summary

Biodegradation-promoting additives do not enhance the breakdown of polyethylene (PE) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics in compost, anaerobic digestion, or soil. These additives showed no significant effect on polymer biodegradation in tested environments.

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Area of Science:

Polymer Science
Environmental Science
Materials Science

Background:

Commercial polymers like polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are widely used globally.
Biodegradation-promoting additives are marketed with claims of enhancing polymer biodegradability.
Significant uncertainty exists regarding the actual effectiveness of these additives in diverse environmental conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the impact of biodegradation-promoting additives on the degradation rates of PE and PET.
To assess additive efficacy across various biodegradation environments: compost, anaerobic digestion, and soil burial.

Main Methods:

Tested five different biodegradation-promoting additives with PE and PET samples.
Evaluated biodegradation performance in controlled compost, anaerobic digestion, and soil burial conditions.
Quantified the biodegradation of polymers in the presence and absence of additives.

Main Results:

None of the five tested additives demonstrated a significant increase in PE or PET biodegradation across any of the evaluated environments.
No evidence was found to support the claim that these additives promote or enhance the biodegradation of polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate.
The study found no significant difference in biodegradation rates for polymers with or without the tested additives.

Conclusions:

Biodegradation-promoting additives currently available do not effectively enhance the biodegradation of PE and PET in compost, anaerobic digestion, or soil.
Anaerobic and aerobic biodegradation are not recommended as viable disposal methods for non-biodegradable plastics containing these types of additives.
Further research is needed to develop truly effective biodegradation-promoting additives for common plastics.