Water soluble polymer biodegradation evaluation using standard and experimental methods

Menzies, Jennifer; Wilcox, Ashley; Casteel, Kenneth; McDonough, Kathleen

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160006

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…However, our results disagree with many existing studies since PVOH has been widely recognized as ultimately biodegradable. 32 For example, Menzies et al found complete mineralization of PVOH, with >75% of degradation within 28 d and >87% in 60 d. The molecular weight explored in their study was 10,000−130,000 Da with a degree of hydrolysis between 79 and 88%. No significant relationship was observed on the molecular weight or degree of hydrolysis in biodegradation.…”

Section: Effect Of Reactor Sizementioning

confidence: 83%

“…24,31,32 For example, Menzies et al studied the degradation of lowmolecular-weight (averaging ≤35,000 Da) PEG polymers in an OECD 301B method using activated sludge as inoculum. 32 The degradation of these polymers reached >70% in 28 d and >80% in 60 d. The comparison between PEG-200 and PEG-400 indicates that the molecular weight of the PEG polymers did not appear to affect the lag period (0−10% of degradation), as also reported, 32 but did seem to have a negative influence on the overall biodegradability. 33,34 This is because biodegradation decomposes complex organic substances into smaller and simpler compounds.…”

Section: Effect Of Reactor Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of a High-Throughput Fiber-Optic-Based Closed Bottle System for Evaluating the Ready Biodegradability of Water-Soluble Polymers

Huang,

Prata,

et al. 2024

ACS EST Water

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Water-soluble polymers are widely used in various applications. However, a large portion of them may end up in natural environments after use and may pose a risk if they do not decompose naturally, especially through biodegradation. Existing methods for evaluating the ready biodegradability of water-soluble polymers are generally costly, low throughput, and labor-intensive. To overcome such limitations, this study developed a highthroughput method using a fiber-optic dissolved oxygen measurement approach based on a modified OECD 301D method. The new method was first compared with traditional methods and showed similar biodegradation results. PolySeed was then evaluated as an alternative inoculum to secondary effluent, and a strong correlation was observed between the inoculum types, especially for highly biodegradable substances (>60% of degradation). The investigation on the effect of inoculum dosage suggested little difference among the three dosage levels (0.05, 0.5, and 5 mL/L) within the recommended range by OECD 301D. Compared to smaller reactors (20 and 40 mL), only reactors with volumes of 300 mL resulted in reasonable biodegradation. The further evaluation of this new method on over 40 natural, synthetic, and graft polymers indicated that it could be reliably applied for testing the ready biodegradability of diverse water-soluble polymers.

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Section: Effect Of Reactor Sizementioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Effect Of Reactor Sizementioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a High-Throughput Fiber-Optic-Based Closed Bottle System for Evaluating the Ready Biodegradability of Water-Soluble Polymers

Huang,

Prata,

et al. 2024

ACS EST Water

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“…At lower molecular weights, PEGs can generally be considered readily biodegradable, through oxidative degradation and mineralisation of resulting oligomers by microbes. 182 At higher molecular weights, the extent of oxidative degradation required to produce fragments short enough for bioassimilation can result in lengthy degradation periods.…”

Section: Strategies For the Design Of Biodegradable Polymersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many within the polymer science community have generally considered the broad class of poly(ethers) to be biodegradable which may not be correct in many important cases. [179][180][181][182] PEG, also termed poly(ethylene oxide) or poly(oxyethylene), is synthesised by the polymerisation of ethylene oxide and has many important applications ranging from drug delivery and formulation, to use as an anti-foaming agent within the food and drink industry. [183][184][185] PEG has been shown to biodegrade through a degradation-biodegradation mechanism (Fig.…”

Section: Molecular Features Of Polymers and Their Effects On Biodegra...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing biodegradable alternatives to commodity polymers

Fiandra,

Shaw,

Starck

et al. 2023

Chem. Soc. Rev.

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“…Even at very low concentrations, organic dyes can cause severe health problems . Many strategies, including biological, chemical, and physical methods, have been developed for removing toxic organic dyes from the environment . Compared with conventional degradation technologies such as activated sludge and oxidation processes, photocatalytic degradation can eliminate contaminants without producing secondary pollution and has the advantage of low energy consumption .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comprehensive Chemistry Experiment for Undergraduates to Investigate the Photodegradation of Organic Dyes by ZnO/GO Nanocomposite

Zhang

Wang

et al. 2023

J. Chem. Educ.

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The dangers of organic dye pollutants and environmental pollution improvement through photocatalytic degradation are important courses in applied chemistry programs in universities. Zinc oxide (ZnO)-based nanomaterials are potent catalytic agents against organic dyes, but few experiments are available for students to understand their role and mechanism in class. Herein, we designed a comprehensive experiment across 24 class hours for undergraduates to investigate the photodegradation of colored organic dyes, including methylene blue, methyl orange, methyl violet, rhodamine B, basic fuchsin, and thymolphthalein, by a nanocomposite composed of ZnO-coated graphene oxide (ZnO/GO). This nanomaterial was prepared using a facile heating reflux method within 1 h. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction were introduced to students to characterize the synthesized products. Students could observe the time- and dose-dependent degradation as well as the reusability of ZnO/GO. Additionally, the addition of t-butanol, benzoquinone, and triethanolamine, scavengers of hydroxyl radical (•OH), superoxide anion (•O2–), and hole (h+), respectively, to the degradation system allowed them to master the underlying catalytic mechanism of ZnO/GO. This experiment improves students’ understanding of the photocatalytic effect of ZnO nanomaterials and stimulates them to engage in the field of applied chemistry and thus is worth recommending to undergraduates.

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Water soluble polymer biodegradation evaluation using standard and experimental methods

Cited by 18 publications

References 20 publications

Development of a High-Throughput Fiber-Optic-Based Closed Bottle System for Evaluating the Ready Biodegradability of Water-Soluble Polymers

Development of a High-Throughput Fiber-Optic-Based Closed Bottle System for Evaluating the Ready Biodegradability of Water-Soluble Polymers

Designing biodegradable alternatives to commodity polymers

A Comprehensive Chemistry Experiment for Undergraduates to Investigate the Photodegradation of Organic Dyes by ZnO/GO Nanocomposite

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