Identification of Biodegradable and Oxo‐Biodegradable Plastic Bags Samples Composition

Abstract

Plastic films used to make market bags are based on polymers such as polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene. These materials require a long time to degrade in the environment. Alternative technologies have been developed to reduce the degradation time and the impact on the environment caused by the conventional polymer materials, using pro-degrading additives or by the development of biodegradable polymers. In Brazil, some city's laws require the use of biodegradable material in the production of market bags, but the absence of specific surveillance policies makes their chemical composition unknown. The plastic bags didn't show the expected environmental behavior by the manufactures, so it is important to understand the reasons why they are not biodegradable in Brazilian landfills. In this paper, 7 samples that were obtained from a trading company and commercial market of Belo Horizonte were analyzed. The samples were characterized by biodegradable analysis, XRF, FTIR, SEM and TGA/DTA, which allowed the identification and evaluation of the thermal behavior of the material in an inert and oxidizing atmosphere. The results showed that plastic bags were composed by a mixture of PLA and PBAT, with possible presence of TPS and titanium and calcium fillers. All samples presented low biodegradability in compostable environment.

Consumer-driven evaluation of Ecoplas as a sustainable flexible packaging in Jakarta

“…Oxo-biodegradable is defined by CEN as a degradation process resulting from oxidative and cell-mediated phenomena, either simultaneously or successively. This means that the plastic undergoes degradation by oxidation until its molecular weight is low enough to be eaten by bacteria and fungi, which then recycle it back into nature by cell-mediated phenomena [31], [32].…”

Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Polymeric Films Based on PLA / PBAT and Corn Starch and Babassu Mesocarp Starch by Flat Extrusion for Packaging

“…The samples were heated from 30 to 500 °C at 10 °C.min -1 under argon gas flow (100 mL.min -1 ). The degree of crystallization (∆𝑋𝑋 𝑐𝑐(𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠) ) of the samples was calculated using the following eqs ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) [29][30][31].…”

Bio‐ and oxo‐degradable plastics: Insights on facts and challenges

“…Such smaller plastic pieces represent a severe problem if animals, fish, consume them or if they are scattered over the ground. Finzi‐Quintao et al 45 were among the few researchers who studied the biodegradability of oxo‐based plastics in the landfill. It was suggested that despite utilizing oxo‐biodegradable compounds known in the literature, the composition of the bags did not permit for biodegradation in Brazilian landfill because landfills have an acid environment with no light or oxygen to permit the process of biodegradation for the studied material.…”