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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Biorefining of Thermoplastic Starch via Depolymerization and Methane Arrested Anaerobic Digestion
ClearBiorefiningof Thermoplastic Starch via Depolymerizationand Methane Arrested Anaerobic Digestion
Researchers investigated the biorefining of thermoplastic starch through abiotic depolymerization under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions followed by methane-arrested anaerobic digestion to convert biodegradable plastic waste into platform chemicals. The study demonstrates that TPS, typically resistant to biogas conversion, can be directed into the carboxylate platform through controlled depolymerization and methane suppression.
Impact of the thermo-alkaline pretreatment on the anaerobic digestion of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blended plastics
Researchers tested whether a heat-and-alkali pretreatment could improve the breakdown of biodegradable plastics PBAT and PLA through anaerobic digestion. They found that pretreatment significantly improved methane production from PLA-containing blends but had limited effect on PBAT alone, which remained resistant to digestion. The results suggest that even plastics labeled as biodegradable may not break down easily in real-world composting and waste treatment systems.
Assessing labelled carbon assimilation from poly butylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) monomers during thermophilic anaerobic digestion
Researchers used isotopically labeled carbon to track the biodegradation of PBAT (a biodegradable plastic) monomers in anaerobic conditions using wastewater treatment sludge as inoculum, finding limited metabolization that raises questions about PBAT's true biodegradability in anaerobic environments.
Anaerobic Degradation of Aromatic and Aliphatic Biodegradable Plastics: Potential Mechanisms and Pathways.
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.
Anaerobic Degradability of Commercially Available Bio-Based and Oxo-Degradable Packaging Materials in the Context of their End of Life in the Waste Management Strategy
Researchers tested how quickly bio-based and oxo-degradable packaging materials break down under anaerobic (landfill-like) conditions over one year, finding that starch-based films degraded more completely than PLA or oxo-degradable materials. Products marketed as biodegradable may persist much longer than expected, contributing to microplastic pollution.
Thermophilic anaerobic digestion of polylactic acid, polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics: effect of inoculum-substrate ratio and microbiome
Researchers tested thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic digestion of polyethylene, polypropylene, and polylactic acid microplastics at different substrate ratios to assess methane production and MP degradation. PLA showed greater degradation under thermophilic conditions, while PE and PP were largely resistant to both digestion temperatures.
Can anaerobic digestion be a suitable end-of-life scenario for biodegradable plastics? A critical review of the current situation, hurdles, and challenges
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.
Fate of a biobased polymer via high-solid anaerobic co-digestion with food waste and following aerobic treatment: Insights on changes of polymer physicochemical properties and the role of microbial and fungal communities
PBAT/PLA biopolymer bags were co-digested with food waste in an anaerobic digestion plant and then subjected to aerobic composting, with only partial degradation achieved under both conditions and the remaining polymer fragments altering microbial community composition, raising questions about bioplastic end-of-life claims.
Analysis of the microplastic emission potential of a starch-based biodegradable plastic material
Researchers developed a method to assess the microplastic emission potential of biodegradable starch-based plastics under environmental conditions, finding that even materials labeled biodegradable can fragment into persistent microplastic particles depending on environmental degradation pathways.
Fate of polylactic acid microplastics during anaerobic digestion of kitchen waste: Insights on property changes, released dissolved organic matters, and biofilm formation
Polylactic acid (PLA) microplastics were tracked through the anaerobic digestion of kitchen waste, revealing that PLA particles underwent surface changes and released dissolved organic matter but were not fully degraded during the process. The study shows that even supposedly biodegradable plastics can persist and alter biofilm formation in anaerobic digestion systems.
Fate and effect of Polyamide-6 microplastics in mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion
This study examined the fate and impact of polyamide-6 microplastics during mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestion, finding that digestion temperature affects polymer degradation rates and that microplastics influence methane production and microbial communities.
Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Bioplastics and Food Waste under Mesophilic and Thermophilic Conditions: Synergistic Effect and Biodegradation
Researchers investigated anaerobic co-digestion of bioplastics (PLA and PHA) with food waste under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, finding synergistic effects that enhanced methane production yields, demonstrating that co-digestion could be an effective strategy for managing bioplastic waste while generating renewable energy.
Organics Recycling Tradeoffs: Biogas Potential and Microplastic Content of Mechanically Depackaged Food Waste
Researchers examined the tradeoffs between biogas energy recovery potential and microplastic contamination in mechanically depackaged food waste intended for anaerobic digestion, finding that imperfect separation of packaging materials introduces microplastics into the resulting digestate.
Chemical-Physical Characterization of Bio-Based Biodegradable Plastics in View of Identifying Suitable Recycling/Recovery Strategies and Numerical Modeling of PLA Pyrolysis
Researchers characterized several bio-based and biodegradable polymer alternatives to conventional plastics using chemical-physical methods, assessing their suitability for industrial composting and identifying challenges in managing these bioplastics in the existing waste stream.
Pretreatment and Anaerobic Co-digestion of Selected PHB and PLA Bioplastics
Researchers evaluated thermal and alkaline pretreatments for PHB and PLA bioplastics to enhance anaerobic digestion, finding pretreatment increased biochemical methane potential by over 100% and reduced lag times before methane production. Bench-scale co-digesters fed synthetic primary sludge with PHB achieved 80-98% conversion to biomethane, with a 5% increase in total biomethane output.
Study of structure and properties of biodegradable composite films based on thermoplastic starch
Researchers studied the structure and properties of biodegradable thermoplastic starch composites as potential replacements for conventional polyethylene plastics. Using starch — a natural, renewable polymer — as a filler in plastic films could reduce microplastic pollution by enabling faster environmental breakdown.
Numerical framework for anaerobic digestion and/or composting of bioplastics and organic waste performance evaluation under real-like large scale operating conditions
Researchers used computer modeling to simulate how well certified biodegradable plastics — including PLA cups and starch-based bags — actually break down in real anaerobic digestion and composting facilities, finding that industrial composting alone only degrades 42–44% of PLA in 28 days. The study warns that current waste infrastructure may not be sufficient to handle the growing volumes of bioplastics, potentially leading to microplastic-like contamination of compost and soil.
Investigating the Fate of Bio-based Plastics in Anaerobic Digestion
This study tested the breakdown of three types of bio-based food packaging plastics in anaerobic digesters over 26 weeks, assessing how well they degrade under conditions similar to industrial composting. Understanding whether bio-based plastics truly break down in real waste treatment settings is critical to evaluating their environmental claims.
A review of biodegradable thermoplastic starches, their blends and composites: recent developments and opportunities for single-use plastic packaging alternatives
This review analyzed how different plasticizers, compatibilizers, and essential oils affect biodegradable thermoplastic starch blends and composites. The study suggests these materials offer promising alternatives to single-use plastic packaging, highlighting recent developments in improving their mechanical and barrier properties.
Microbial community acclimatization enhances bioplastics biodegradation and biogas production under thermophilic anaerobic digestion
Three sequential anaerobic digestion runs showed that microbial community acclimatization enhanced biodegradation and biogas production from starch-based and polylactic acid bioplastics, demonstrating that inoculum adaptation is key to improving bioplastic treatment in anaerobic systems.
Biodegradation and Carbon Resource Recovery of Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) by Mealworms: Removal Efficiency, Depolymerization Pattern, and Microplastic Residue
Researchers fed mealworms the biodegradable plastic PBAT and tracked degradation efficiency, depolymerization products, and residual microplastic generation, finding that mealworms could partially biodegrade PBAT while recovering carbon in frass, but that microplastic residues remained a concern.
Microplastics in sewage sludge destined to anaerobic digestion: The potential role of thermal pretreatment
Researchers found that thermal pretreatment of sewage sludge at 120°C did not degrade conventional PET microplastics but did alter biodegradable microplastics, which also boosted methane production during anaerobic digestion, raising concerns about how different microplastic types behave in sludge treatment.
Reaction Mechanisms Applied to Starch Modification for Biodegradable Plastics: Etherification and Esterification
This review examined the reaction mechanisms underlying starch modification by etherification and esterification for biodegradable plastic development, discussing how temperature, pH, solvent, and by-products affect the chemical structure and physical properties of the resulting materials. The authors argue that mechanistic understanding has been underemphasized relative to performance optimization in biodegradable plastic research.
Thermally driven polymer disentanglement: An overlooked Key pathway in PBAT-microplastic aging during composting
This study discovered that high composting temperatures directly cause biodegradable PBAT microplastic particles to age and fragment by disentangling their polymer chains — a physical process that had been overlooked because degradation was assumed to be microbially driven. This means that industrial composting may not safely eliminate biodegradable plastics but instead accelerate their breakdown into smaller, potentially more hazardous nanoplastic particles.