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Can anaerobic digestion be a suitable end-of-life scenario for biodegradable plastics? A critical review of the current situation, hurdles, and challenges
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Researchers reviewed the feasibility of anaerobic digestion (AD) as an end-of-life treatment for biodegradable plastics, identifying process parameters, microbial communities, and pretreatment strategies that influence degradation rates and arguing that AD deserves more research attention alongside industrial composting.
Growing concern regarding non-biodegradable plastics and the impact of these materials on the environment has promoted interest in biodegradable plastics. The intensification of separate biowastes collection in most European countries has also contributed to the development of biodegradable plastics, and the subject of their end-of-life is becoming a key issue. To date, there has been relatively little research to evaluate the biodegradability of biodegradable plastics by anaerobic digestion (AD) compared to industrial and home composting. However, anaerobic digestion is a particularly promising strategy for treating biodegradable organic wastes in the context of circular waste management. This critical review aims to provide an in-depth update of anaerobic digestion of biodegradable plastics by providing a summary of the literature regarding process performance, parameters affecting biodegradability, the microorganisms involved, and some of the strategies (e.g., pretreatment, additives, and inoculum acclimation) used to enhance the degradation rate of biodegradable plastics. In addition, a critical section is dedicated to suggestions and recommendations for the development of biodegradable plastics sector and their treatment in anaerobic digestion.
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Researchers systematically reviewed the anaerobic biodegradability of commercial bioplastics, finding that degradation rates vary widely depending on polymer type and blend composition, and that current testing standards are insufficient to predict real-world breakdown under both controlled and uncontrolled conditions.
Enhancing Bioplastic Degradation in Anaerobic Digestion: A Review of Pretreatment and Co-Digestion Strategies
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This review examines strategies to improve the breakdown of bioplastics—including PLA, PHB, and starch-based materials—through anaerobic digestion, finding that pretreatment techniques (mechanical, thermal, and enzymatic) combined with co-digestion of food waste or sewage sludge can significantly boost methane yields and support circular waste management.
Anaerobic Degradation of Aromatic and Aliphatic Biodegradable Plastics: Potential Mechanisms and Pathways.
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This study examined how biodegradable plastics — PBAT and PLA — break down under anaerobic conditions in digestion systems, finding that microbial communities degrade them through distinct biochemical pathways. Understanding how biodegradable plastics decompose in real-world conditions like landfills and wastewater treatment is important for evaluating whether they truly degrade safely.
Review on anaerobic biodegradation of waste bioplastics: Mechanisms, influencing factors, and pretreatment strategies
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This review analyzed anaerobic biodegradation mechanisms for bioplastics such as PLA and PHAs, finding that many bioplastics degrade poorly under real anaerobic conditions and that additives can inhibit biodegradation and generate microplastic fragments. The results challenge the 'green' narrative around bioplastics, showing they can persist in waste streams and contribute to microplastic pollution unless degradation processes are carefully tailored to specific material compositions.
Discussion about suitable applications for biodegradable plastics regarding their sources, uses and end of life
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Researchers critically evaluated the scientific basis for biodegradable plastics as a solution to plastic pollution, concluding that no plastic biodegrades universally across all ecosystems, that treating the environment as a waste treatment system is unacceptable, and that compostable plastics require dedicated collection infrastructure to deliver on their environmental promise.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.