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Study of the Biodegradation of PLA/PBAT Films after Biodegradation Tests in Soil and the Aqueous Medium
Summary
This study assessed how a common biodegradable plastic blend (PLA/PBAT) degrades in soil and water over time, finding it broke down into smaller fragments rather than fully mineralizing. The persistence of biodegradable plastic fragments raises questions about whether these materials are truly safe alternatives to conventional plastic.
The intense consumption of conventional plastics has been generating a series of problems for nature due to the accumulation of municipal solid waste because of its difficult degradation. Therefore, the use of biodegradable polymers becomes a good option to minimize these effects. Poly (lactide acid)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PLA/PBAT) is a biodegradable blend that can be used mainly in applications that have a short shelf life. So, it is important to know the total biodegradation time of this blend. For this reason, PLA/PBAT films (1.5 x 1.5 x 0.15 cm) were produced by thermal compression molding to be subjected to biodegradation tests in soil and aqueous medium for 180 days. The films were characterized by visual analysis, weight loss measurements, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), contact angle, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). DSC showed an increase of 0.7% in PLA crystallinity subjected to the aqueous medium, while FT-IR showed a reduction in the bands at 1710 cm-1 and 1100 cm-1, as a result of hydrolysis for both methodologies. The blend's hydrophilic character was increased after both degradation processes, presenting a reduction of 34.5% in the contact angle after biodegradation in soil. From the results, it was possible to conclude that PLA/PBAT films did not degrade completely, as expected, but showed signs that indicated the beginning of the degradation. The degradation was more effective in the aqueous medium.
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