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Fate of So‐Called Biodegradable Polymers in Seawater and Freshwater
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This review examined whether so-called biodegradable plastics actually break down in seawater and freshwater environments, finding that most degrade far too slowly to offer any practical environmental benefit. The study warns that biodegradable labeling can create a false sense of security and may not reduce plastic accumulation in aquatic ecosystems.
The stability of polymers with C-C and stable C-heteroatom backbones against chemicals, hydrolysis, temperature, light, and microbes has challenged society with the problem of accumulation of plastic waste and its management worldwide. Given careless disposal of plastic waste, large amounts of plastic litter accumulate in the environment and disintegrate into microplastics. One of the questions frequently raised in the recent times is if so-called biodegradable polymers can substitute conventional polymers for several applications and help to tackle this challenge. The answer is not so simple as biodegradability is a certified property occurring only under certain environmental conditions and therefore requires systematic study. As a first step, this study focusses on comparative degradation studies of six polymers (five taken from the so-called biodegradable polyesters, including poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), Ecoflex, and one well-known non-degradable polymer poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) in artificial seawater and freshwater under controlled conditions for 1 year. Only amorphous PLGA shows 100% degradation as determined by weight loss, change in molar mass with time, NMR, electron microscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography. This is a step forward in understanding the degradability of polyesters required for the design of environmentally friendly novel polymers for future use.
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Biodegradable plastics in aquatic ecosystems: latest findings, research gaps, and recommendations
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This review challenges the assumption that biodegradable plastics are harmless to aquatic ecosystems, finding that many materials labeled as biodegradable do not fully break down in natural water environments. Researchers found that these plastics can persist in aquatic settings and pose similar risks to wildlife as conventional plastics, including ingestion and chemical leaching. The study recommends more rigorous testing of biodegradability claims under real-world aquatic conditions.
Review on the Biological Degradation of Polymers in Various Environments
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This review provides an overview of how biodegradable plastics degrade under different environmental conditions including soil, freshwater, marine, and composting environments. It finds that biodegradability is a material property strongly dependent on environmental conditions, and that many so-called biodegradable plastics degrade far more slowly in nature than in controlled test conditions.
Degradation of Plastics in Seawater in Laboratory
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Lab tests found that so-called "biodegradable" plastics barely break down in seawater, even after weeks of exposure. Worse, sunlight made them crumble into fragments faster than they actually decomposed, meaning these plastics could still create microplastic pollution in the ocean. The takeaway: labeling plastic as degradable doesn't guarantee it's ocean-safe, so keeping it out of the sea in the first place still matters most.
A review of biodegradation and formation of biodegradable microplastics in soil and freshwater environments
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Researchers reviewed how biodegradable plastics break down in soil and freshwater, finding that incomplete degradation by microorganisms can still produce tiny biodegradable microplastic particles that persist in the environment — meaning "biodegradable" doesn't always mean safe or fast-disappearing.
Biodegradability of bioplastics in different aquatic environments: A systematic review
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This systematic review examines whether bioplastics actually break down in water as promised. The findings reveal wide variability in how well different bioplastics biodegrade in freshwater and saltwater, and current testing standards lack clear targets, meaning some materials marketed as biodegradable may still persist in the environment and contribute to microplastic pollution.
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