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Effects of Fe3O4 NMs based Fenton-like reactions on biodegradable plastic bags in compost: New insight into plastisphere community succession, co-composting efficiency and free radical in situ aging theory
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Researchers found that adding iron oxide nanoparticles to food waste compost created Fenton-like reactions that generated hydroxyl radicals, broke down biodegradable plastic bags by 39% in molecular weight within 40 days, and enriched plastisphere microorganisms — while also improving compost maturity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Biodegradable plastic bags (BPBs), meant for eco-friendly, often inadequately degrade in compost, leading to microplastic pollution. In this study, the effect of Fenton-like reaction with FeO nanoparticles (NMs) on the plastisphere microorganisms' evolution and the BPBs' aging mechanism was revealed by co-composting of food waste with BPBs for 40 days. The establishment of the Fenton-like reaction was confirmed, with the addition of Fenton-like reagent treatments resulting in an increase of 57.67% and 37.75% in HO levels during the composting, compared to the control group. Moreover, the structural characterization reveals that increasing oxygen content continuously generates reactive free radicals on the surface, leading to the formation of oxidative cavities. This process results in random chain-breaking, significantly reducing molecular weights by 39.27% and 38.81%, thus showcasing a deep-seated transformation in the plastic's molecular structure. Furthermore, the microbial network suggested that the Fenton-like reaction enriched plastisphere keystone species, thus accelerating the BPBs' aging. Additionally, the Fenton-like reaction improved compost maturity and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. These results reveal the bio-chemical mechanisms of BPBs aging and random chain-breaking by the Fenton-like reaction, under alternating oxidative/anoxic conditions of composting and provide a new insight to resolve the BPBs' pollutions.
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