2015/02/27 by Susan E. M. Selke, Rafael Auras, Tuan Anh Nguyen +3 · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Materials Science · Chemistry · #Microplastics and Plastic Pollution #Recycling and Waste Management Techniques #biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties #Biodegradation #Polyethylene terephthalate #Polyethylene #Polymer #Waste management #Pulp and paper industry #Compost #Anaerobic exercise #Chemistry #Materials science #Organic chemistry #Composite material
paper · doi:10.1021/es504258u
openalex publication_date 2015/02/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/20
Biodegradation-promoting additives for polymers are increasingly being used around the world with the claim that they effectively render commercial polymers biodegradable. However, there is a lot of uncertainty about their effectiveness in degrading polymers in different environments. In this study, we evaluated the effect of biodegradation-promoting additives on the biodegradation of polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Biodegradation was evaluated in compost, anaerobic digestion, and soil burial environments. None of the five different additives tested significantly increased biodegradation in any of these environments. Thus, no evidence was found that these additives promote and/or enhance biodegradation of PE or PET polymers. So, anaerobic and aerobic biodegradation are not recommended as feasible disposal routes for nonbiodegradable plastics containing any of the five tested biodegradation-promoting additives.