The mechanism of biodegradation of polyethylene

Albertsson, Ann‐Christine; Andersson, Sven Ove; Karlsson, Sigbritt

doi:10.1016/0141-3910(87)90084-x

Cited by 559 publications

(316 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The overwhelming consensus of studies on biodegradation of plastics indicates that the majority of synthetic polymers, including polyethylene, are highly resistant to microbial degradation [4]. In fact, studies conducted to enhance biodegradation of plastics and, thereby, relieve overburdened municipal waste landfills have largely proven unsuccessful [5,6].…”

Section: Resistance To Saturated Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Durability of Polyethylene for Encapsulation of Low-Level Radioactive, Hazardous, and Mixed Wastes

Kalb

Heiser

Colombo

1993

ACS Symposium Series

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Section: Resistance To Saturated Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Durability of Polyethylene for Encapsulation of Low-Level Radioactive, Hazardous, and Mixed Wastes

Kalb

Heiser

Colombo

1993

ACS Symposium Series

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“…24,25 This spectral analysis provided evidence for the photo-oxidation of the PE films, and the oxidation of the material was evidenced by the formation of carbonyl groups. 17,[26][27][28][29][30] UV-visible spectral analysis The changes in the UV-visible absorption spectra of pristine and prooxidant-added PE are shown in Figure 7. Each final absorption spectrum is that of the non-irradiated and irradiated PE, BPE10 and BPE20 films.…”

Section: Ft-ir Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical and surface properties of low-density polyethylene film modified by photo-oxidation

Suresh

Maruthamuthu

Kannan

et al. 2011

Polym J

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Mechanical and surface properties are considered important in governing the physical strength of polymers. A commercially available oxo-biodegradable polymer additive, which has induced surface and mechanical property changes during photo-oxidation in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films, has been studied. LDPE films containing the oxo-biodegradable additive were irradiated with ultraviolet (UV)-B lamps at 30 ± 1 1C for an extended time period. The changes manifested on the polymer surface and in the mechanical properties were studied with respect to surface wettability, surface morphology using scanning electron microscope, surface topology by atomic force microscopy, functional groups by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, absorbance spectra by UV-visible spectroscopy and elongation at break and tensile strength through mechanical testing. The increase in the wettability and surface-free energy of the irradiated samples was attributed to the formation of hydrophilic groups on the polymer surface by photo-oxidation, which occurs by the exposure of PE to UV irradiation in the presence of air. The degree of reduction in the mechanical strength and surface property modifications in our study are appreciable through the use of an oxo-biodegradable additive added to LDPE film samples.

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“…However, some WPC manufacturers initially believed that these materials were resistant to biodegradation due to encapsulation ofthe wood particles by the plastic. It is well known that polyolefins are highly resistant to biodegradation, especially without prior abiotic oxidation (6)(7)(8), due to their backbone being solely built of carbon atoms. Scheffer and Morrell (9) applied this knowledge in the wood preservation area by using polyethylene films for below-ground decay protection of small ponderosa pine sapwood stakes over a two-year period.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Degradation of Wood—Plastic Composites (WPC) and Strategies for Improving the Resistance of WPC against Biological Decay

Schirp

Ibach

Pendleton

et al. 2008

ACS Symposium Series

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Much of the research on wood-plastic composites (WPC) has focused on formulation development and processing while high biological durability of the material was assumed. The gap between assumption and knowledge in biodeterioration of WPC needs to be reduced. Although some information on the short-term resistance of WPC against biological degradation is available, long-term data are required in order to adequately evaluate the performance of these relatively new materials and to enable use of WPC for structural applications. The influence ofabiotic factors on material performance also has to be considered. Thus, further market growth and differentiation, especially in Europe, may be achieved while simultaneously standardization issues are dealt with. 480

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The mechanism of biodegradation of polyethylene

Cited by 559 publications

References 11 publications

Long-Term Durability of Polyethylene for Encapsulation of Low-Level Radioactive, Hazardous, and Mixed Wastes

Long-Term Durability of Polyethylene for Encapsulation of Low-Level Radioactive, Hazardous, and Mixed Wastes

Mechanical and surface properties of low-density polyethylene film modified by photo-oxidation

Biological Degradation of Wood—Plastic Composites (WPC) and Strategies for Improving the Resistance of WPC against Biological Decay

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