Degradation of Polyethylene Film Samples Containing Oxo-Degradable Additives

Yashchuk, Oxana; Portillo, F.S.; Hermida, Élida B.

doi:10.1016/j.mspro.2012.06.059

Cited by 38 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Many studies have reported that the oxidation of the PE films containing pro-oxidant additive prevalently produces carbonyl (C=O) on its surface [6,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. The presence of carbonyl group on PE film surface can lead to an increase in its surface polarity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal Oxidation of Polyolefins by Mild Pro-Oxidant Additives Based on Iron Carboxylates and Lipophilic Amines: Degradability in the Absence of Light and Effect on the Adhesion to Paperboard

2015

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Marine and inland pollution by non-degradable plastic bags and other plastic articles is a topic of great concern. Natural degradation processes based on oxidation of plastic pollutants could possibly contribute to limit the extent of pollution. Thermal degradation of polyolefins in the absence of light by non-polluting pro-oxidants has not been presented before. In this study, we show that two amines, stearyl amine and [(3-(11-aminoundecanoyl) amino) propane-1-] silsesquioxane (amino-POSS) in combination with ferric stearate (FeSt 3 ) tremendously accelerate the thermal oxidation of polyolefins compared with reference samples. Both amines and FeSt 3 are to a large extent based on renewable resources. Polyethylene and polypropylene samples containing less than 100 ppm of iron and 1% of amine were extremely brittle after 10 days in a circulation oven in the absence of light. No significant degradation could be seen with samples containing iron but no amine. In a different application, the initial oxidation of polyethylene can be used in order to increase its adhesion to cardboard. Excellent adhesion between polyethylene and cardboard is important for liquid packaging based on renewable resources. Amino-POSS has been chosen for food packaging applications due to its expected lower leakage from polyethylene (PE) compared with stearyl amine. Film samples of PE/amino-POSS/FeSt 3 blends were partly oxidized in a circulation oven. The oxidation was documented by Polymers 2015, 7 1523 increased carbonyl index (CI) and melt flow index (MFI). The limited extent of oxidation has been proved by unchanged tensile strength and only moderate changes in elongation at break when compared to reference polyethylene films containing no FeSt 3 or amino-POSS. The PE/amino-POSS/FeSt 3 blends were compression moulded to paperboard. The adhesion of non-aged blends to paperboard decreased with increasing amino-POSS content which is in good compliance with an earlier reported lubricant effect of high amounts of POSS in PE. Thermal ageing of PE/amino-POSS/FeSt 3 films prior to coating however led to a significant increase in adhesion. Improved physical interlocking due to increased MFI and interaction between C=O of the blends and OH of paperboard can explain the adhesion improvement. The films were not brittle after thermal ageing, which makes their use in industrial packaging feasible. A mechanism explaining the role of amines during thermal oxidation of polyolefins in the presence of iron is proposed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal Oxidation of Polyolefins by Mild Pro-Oxidant Additives Based on Iron Carboxylates and Lipophilic Amines: Degradability in the Absence of Light and Effect on the Adhesion to Paperboard

2015

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“…Some scientists have surveyed the aerobic biodegradation of treated polyethylene and/or polyethylene modified by the addition of additives ("addivitated") PE in simulated soil burial and mature compost [25,26], in natural aqueous environments in laboratory condition [27,28], or in different type of soil contain microbial consortia in real condition [29]. Others tested the biodegradation of LDPE in soil and identified the microorganisms involved [30].…”

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confidence: 99%

Challenges with Verifying Microbial Degradation of Polyethylene

2020

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Polyethylene (PE) is the most abundant synthetic, petroleum-based plastic materials produced globally, and one of the most resistant to biodegradation, resulting in massive accumulation in the environment. Although the microbial degradation of polyethylene has been reported, complete biodegradation of polyethylene has not been achieved, and rapid degradation of polyethylene under ambient conditions in the environment is still not feasible. Experiments reported in the literature suffer from a number of limitations, and conclusive evidence for the complete biodegradation of polyethylene by microorganisms has been elusive. These limitations include the lack of a working definition for the biodegradation of polyethylene that can lead to testable hypotheses, a non-uniform description of experimental conditions used, and variations in the type(s) of polyethylene used, leading to a profound limitation in our understanding of the processes and mechanisms involved in the microbial degradation of polyethylene. The objective of this review is to outline the challenges in polyethylene degradation experiments and clarify the parameters required to achieve polyethylene biodegradation. This review emphasizes the necessity of developing a biochemically-based definition for the biodegradation of polyethylene (and other synthetic plastics) to simplify the comparison of results of experiments focused for the microbial degradation of polyethylene.

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“…These have low enough molecular weights to be microbially assimilated. in other studies, PE with photodegradable additives were pre-degraded thermo-oxidatively, but still biodegraded at about the same rate as PE with no additive (Ojeda et al, 2009;Yashchuk et al, 2012).…”

Section: Effects Of Photodegradation On Biodegradationmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Adding 1-5% by weight of additive masterbatch to polyolefin is claimed to render the material environmentally degradable. There is little doubt that oxo-biodegradables effectively catalyze photodegradation but only a modest improvement in biodegradability is usually obtained (Yashchuk et al, 2012). After a year of natural weathering (abiotic degradation), the oxo-biodegradable films of PE incubated in compost at 58°C showed 12.4% mineralization over a period of 3 months; biodegradation at 25°C was only 5.4% (Ojeda et al, 2009).…”

Section: Additives That Enhance Degradation In Common Polymersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degradation of Plastics in the Environment

2015

Plastics and Environmental Sustainability

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Degradation of Polyethylene Film Samples Containing Oxo-Degradable Additives

Cited by 38 publications

References 11 publications

Thermal Oxidation of Polyolefins by Mild Pro-Oxidant Additives Based on Iron Carboxylates and Lipophilic Amines: Degradability in the Absence of Light and Effect on the Adhesion to Paperboard

Thermal Oxidation of Polyolefins by Mild Pro-Oxidant Additives Based on Iron Carboxylates and Lipophilic Amines: Degradability in the Absence of Light and Effect on the Adhesion to Paperboard

Challenges with Verifying Microbial Degradation of Polyethylene

Degradation of Plastics in the Environment

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