THE PREPARATION AND BIODEGRADATION OF POLYBLEND PLASTIC FILM LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE WITH PCL OBTAINED USING BIS(DIBENZOYLMETHANE)ZIRCONIUM(IV) CATALYST

Abstract

Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) is a type of synthetic polymer that is non-biodegradable and difficult to decompose by microorganisms. One solution to overcome this problem is to mix LDPE with a biodegradable polymer such as poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). The aim of this present study was to obtain an LDPE/PCL polyblend that can decompose in nature. The PCL used in this study was obtained from ROP ε-CL using a bis(dibenzoylmethanato)zirconium(IV) chloride catalyst. In this research, LDPE and PCL were mixed by the solvent casting method. While the solvent used is xylene. After that, the compatibility test, thermal properties test, and biodegradation test were carried out. Furthermore, the results of the biodegradation test showed that the LDPE/PCL polyblend produced could be degraded in the soil at a degradation rate of 3% for 60 days.