A Handbook of Applied Biopolymer Technology: Synthesis, Degradation and Applications

Abstract

A review. Composting and green polymers have longterm mutual interests. In the future, compostable wastes other than yard trimmings, mixed org. fruit and food wastes may become a potentially significant feedstock for composting facilities. In the same area of green waste management, this diversification of feedstocks could be extended to include all sorts of compostable, and hence biodegradable, polymeric ric materials and items comprising packaging films, bottles and jars, foam packaging, food-service items and consumer products. This review has summarized and pondered on a variety of research studies with several biodegradable polymers and bio-based polymers (PHAs, PLAs, polyethylenes and PCLs) that have been tested for their degradability in the composting environment. The results of these studies collectively advocate the potential of composting as a sound bioremediation technique for biopolymer wastes. It has been made clear, based on the above discussions, that synthetic polymers designed to be biodegradable should be composed from units which are linked by bonds that can be readily cleaved extracellularly by hydrolytic enzymes, and that such enzymes must be excreted by the specific microbial stains into the compost biofilms to be effective in the depolymn. reaction. [on SciFinder(R)]