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Mitigating plastic pollution at sea: Natural seawater degradation of a sustainable PBS/PBAT marine rope
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Scientists tested a biodegradable rope (made from plant-based plastics called PBS/PBAT) designed to break down in the ocean if fishing gear gets lost or abandoned, a major source of ocean plastic pollution. They found the rope stayed strong in cold water but broke down faster in warmer water, suggesting it could help reduce long-lasting "ghost gear" pollution in warmer regions, though more work is needed to confirm it breaks down safely everywhere without leaving harmful microplastic fragments behind.
This paper evaluates the use of a PBS/PBAT biodegradable rope to reduce the environmental impact of fishing gear lost at sea. The study aims to better understand the degradation mechanisms that the rope and its monofilaments may encounter due to the long term exposure to seawater. The monofilaments were immersed in natural seawater for up to 18 months, and rope samples were also immersed to study aging at a larger scale and evaluate the ability of a modelling tool to predict initial and aged states of the rope. At low temperatures, no loss of properties was observed for the monofilament and rope. However, at higher temperatures, biodegradation and hydrolysis processes were observed, leading to a faster loss of properties in the monofilament compared to the rope. The modelling tool provided conservative predictions due to severe mechanical test conditions of aged monofilament and a degradation gradient within the rope structure.
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