Plastic biodegradation: what is and methods

The curious and surprising Plastics biodegradation process It consists of the mineralization of the organic structures of these waste through the action of microorganisms. It is a short -term process that guarantees the use of the degradation of certain plastics to obtain energy and nutrients in the form of biomass and other elements. These plastics that are biodegraded by microorganisms They receive the name of biodegradable plastics. In them, degradation and decomposition is carried out in the form of organic matter and mineral.

But are all plastics suitable for biodegradation by microorganisms? The answer is no, since, in order to be biodegraded, plastics must meet certain requirements, among them:

• They are obtained from natural polymers, present in nature for a long time.
• The living beings in charge of producing these natural polymers through enzymatic reactions are the same that will subsequently be responsible for the degradation of biodegradable plastics by biological systems.
• Some of the most abundant biodegradable plastics belong to the group of polyhydroxialcanoats (PHA), biopolysters with carbon and energy reserve function synthesized by microorganisms.
• When extracted from the cells in which it is synthesized, the PHA have physical properties that resemble those of conventional plastics derived from oil.
• The products of the biodegradation of these plastics are water and carbon dioxide (becoming methane in some conditions), without generating any kind of unnatural waste.

The main groups of organisms that have the ability to create these PHAs belong to different families of bacteria and fungi. Next we will see in more detail what the PLASTIC BIODEGRADATION METHODS more common, as well as the importance and usefulness of such biodegradation.

Learn more about biodegradability in this other ecology article about biodegradability: examples of biodegradable products.

When analyzing the different methods that allow the degradation of plastic naturally, it is necessary to differentiate between the categories of primary biodegradation and secondary biodegradation:

• Primary biodegradation: It produces structural alterations of the original molecules of the plastic material, which lose their physical-chemical properties.
• Secondary or total biodegradation (mineralization): In this case, the chemicals of the plastics are metabolized, in order to serve as a source of carbon and energy for the microorganisms that carry out biodegradation. In this way, plastic is completely transformed into inorganic compounds.

These biodegradation processes can be carried out both in aerobic conditions (with the presence of oxygen), and anaerobic (in the absence of the same gas). Different factors directly and indirectly influence the Biodegradative process of plasticssuch as the pH, temperature and humidity of the environment, as well as the chemical characteristics of the polymers that constitute the plastic, its dimensions and, on the other hand, the characteristics of the microorganism that acts as a biodegradation agent.

The biodegradation of plastics is currently a strategic opportunity to more sustainably manage the PLASSTIC WASTE IN THE ENVIRONMENT. The urgency of reducing excessive and tremendously polluting accumulation of synthetic materials, has led to the evaluation and scientific research of the biodegradation of these polymeric materials.

Thus, to evaluate the environmental impact of plastic materials according to their biodegradation capacities, numerous countries carry out biodegradability tests, whose tests and requirements have been normalized to guarantee the validity and reliability of their results. In addition, numerous standards have been published as a determination of the degree of biodegradation of the polymers used in the manufacture of containers and other industrial products, such as:

• ISO Standard in 13432: Certify compostable and biodegradable plastic containers so that consumers can distinguish them easily.
• In ISO 14853-15985: Determine the final anaerobic biodegradability of the plastic materials present in sludge digestion.
• In ISO 17556: 2003: Characterizes the final aerobic biodegradability of bioplastics according to oxygen demand or the amount of carbon dioxide on Earth.
• Biodegradability tests immediate, intrinsic and in soils, by The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): From which the biodegradability of plastic substances is determined.

In this way, the importance and utility of plastic biodegradation lies in the action of these standards and in certification and labeling Bioplastic As biodegradable or compostable materials, to treat the management of this waste together with the organic fraction (food remains, pruning, etc.) of urban solid waste in composting plants, without leaving toxic waste. Thus, natural biodegradable plastics are recognized as Plastics substitutes of petrochemical origin.

We recommend knowing this other post about biodegradable plastics: what are and types.

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