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The Controversy Surrounding the Toxicity of Biodegradable Plastics: PBAT as a Case Study
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Researchers used computational chemistry to analyze whether biodegradation products of the biodegradable plastic PBAT could interact with DNA base pairs and potentially cause toxicity. They found that all PBAT degradation products formed stable complexes with guanine-cytosine base pairs, suggesting potential toxicity at the molecular level. The results are consistent with previous research indicating that PBAT degradation products may actually be more toxic than the intact PBAT microplastics themselves.
Abstract. Synthetic plastics contribute to increase human comfort, but they also represent a huge pollution problem. One way to avoid contamination is with biodegradable plastics, such as PBAT [poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalate)]. The controversy begins with the apparent negative effect of PBAT on plant growth, and also because it could cause behavioral abnormalities in zebrafish. Previous studies suggest that biodegradation products could be responsible for this. The potential toxicity of biodegradation products and PBAT can be analyzed through the binding energies with biomolecules such as guanine-cytosine (GC). This Density Functional Theory investigation analyzes the interaction of biodegradation products with GC. All compounds under study form stable systems with GC and may be toxic. These results are consistent with previous toxicity research which conclude that PBAT degradation products may be more toxic than PBAT microplastics. Resumen. Los plásticos sintéticos contribuyen a aumentar el confort humano, pero también representan un enorme problema de contaminación. Una forma de evitar la contaminación es con plásticos biodegradables, como el PBAT [poli(butileno-adipato-co-tereftalato)]. La controversia comienza con el aparente efecto negativo del PBAT sobre el crecimiento de las plantas, y también porque podría causar anomalías de comportamiento en el pez cebra. Estudios previos sugieren que los productos de biodegradación podrían ser responsables de esto. La toxicidad potencial de los productos de biodegradación y el PBAT se puede analizar a través de las energías de enlace con biomoléculas como la guanina-citosina (GC). Esta investigación utiliza la Teoría de Funcionales de la Densidad para analizar la interacción de los productos de biodegradación con GC. Todos los compuestos estudiados forman sistemas estables con GC y podrían ser tóxicos. Estos resultados son consistentes con investigaciones de toxicidad que concluyen que los productos de degradación del PBAT pueden ser más tóxicos que los microplásticos de PBAT.
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Ecotoxicity of Biodegradable Microplastics and Bio-based Microplastics: A Review of in vitro and in vivo Studies
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This review examines whether "eco-friendly" biodegradable and bio-based plastics are truly safer than conventional plastics when they break down into microplastics. The findings show that many biodegradable plastics, including popular types like PLA and PBAT, can still cause harm to plants and aquatic organisms, suggesting that simply switching to biodegradable materials does not eliminate microplastic risks.
Generation and characterization of secondary nanoplastics and oligomers from PBAT and their toxicity towards the freshwater microalga C. reinhardtii
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Researchers generated and characterized secondary nanoplastics and oligomers from biodegradable PBAT plastic to assess their ecotoxicological effects compared to conventional plastic counterparts. The study found that biodegradable plastics also release nanoscale particles with measurable toxic effects.
PBAT is biodegradable but what about the toxicity of its biodegradation products?
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Researchers used density functional theory (DFT) computations to assess the toxicity of biodegradation products from PBAT, a widely used biodegradable plastic, analyzing electron-donating and electron-accepting properties to evaluate potential chemical hazards as the material breaks down in the environment.
Generation and characterization of secondary nanoplastics and oligomers from PBAT and their toxicity towards the freshwater microalga C. reinhardtii
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This study generated and characterized secondary nanoplastics and oligomers from biodegradable PBAT polymers, examining whether biodegradable plastics produce hazardous nanoscale breakdown products. Biodegradable PBAT was found to generate nanoplastics and oligomers during degradation, raising concern that these materials are not environmentally benign despite their biodegradable classification.
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