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Microplastics from Biodegradable or Compostable Products
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This review of published studies examined whether biodegradable or compostable plastics, mostly bags made of PBAT and PLA, produce microplastics. Across the studies reviewed, microplastics were found to form from these materials, including ones certified as compostable, particularly when the breakdown process was incomplete or too short.
One of the possible solutions to the problem of global plastic pollution has been the manufacture of compostable or biodegradable plastics, with the goal of ensuring that they completely decompose when disposed of in an environment rich in microorganisms and under appropriate conditions. In this regard, the objective of this study was to investigate, through a literature review, the generation of microplastics from biodegradable or compostable plastics, as well as their characteristics and concentrations. Two literature searches were conducted in the Elsevier database, considering only research articles focused on biodegradable and compostable plastics, at full-scale or laboratory scale, regardless of whether they have received pretreatment or not. The findings showed that in both compostable and biodegradable plastics, the bags are the most frequently analyzed; their chemical composition is usually mostly PBAT and PLA, and before undergoing treatment, they are usually cut into smaller pieces. Various studies show evidence of the generation of microplastics from these types of plastics, even those certified as compostable, and this occurs when the process is incomplete or shorter than required for mineralization.
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Researchers studied how biodegradable plastic films made from PLA, PBS, and their blends break down in freshwater and seawater over several months. All films generated microplastic particles as they degraded, with different water environments producing different amounts and types of fragments. This study challenges the idea that biodegradable plastics are a clean solution, since they still create microplastics during breakdown in natural water systems.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.