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Article: Effect of environmental parameters on the degradability of polymer films in laboratory-scale composting reactors
Title | Effect of environmental parameters on the degradability of polymer films in laboratory-scale composting reactors |
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Authors | |
Keywords | Biodegradable Polymers Biodegradation Testing Cellulose Acetate Compost Simulation Moisture Content Municipal Solid Waste Plastic Film Weight Loss Polymer Biodegradation Polymer Degradation Synthetic Compost Mixes |
Issue Date | 1994 |
Citation | Journal Of Environmental Polymer Degradation, 1994, v. 2 n. 2, p. 129-135 How to Cite? |
Abstract | Previous research in our laboratory reported a convenient laboratory-scale composting test method to study the weight loss of polymer films in aerobic thermophilic (53°C) reactors maintained at a 60% moisture content. The laboratory-scale compost reactors contained the following synthetic compost mixture (percentage on dry-weight basis): tree leaves (45.0), shredded paper (16.5), food (6.7), meat (5.8), cow manure (17.5), sawdust (1.9), aluminum and steel shavings (2.4), glass beads (1.3), urea (1.9), and a compost seed (1.0) which is designated Mix-1 in this work. To simplify the laboratory-scale compost weight loss test method and better understand how compost mixture compositions and environmental parameters affect the rate of plastic degradation, a systematic variation of the synthetic mixture composition as well as the moisture content was carried out. Cellulose acetate (CA) with a degree of substitution (DS) value of 1.7 and cellophane films were chosen as test polymer substrates for this work. The extent of CA DS-1.7 and cellophane weight loss as a function of the exposure time remained unchanged when the metal and glass components of the mixture were excluded in Mix-2. Further study showed that large variations in the mixture composition such as the replacement of tree leaves, food, meat, and sawdust with steam-exploded wood and alfalfa (forming Mix-C) could be made with little or no change in the time dependence of CA DS-1.7 film weight loss. In contrast, substituting tree leaves, food, meat, cow manure, and sawdust with steam-exploded wood in combination with either Rabbit Choice (Mix-D) or starch and urea (Mix-E) resulted in a significant time increase (from 7 to 12 days) for the complete disappearance of CA DS-1.7 films. Interestingly, in this work no direct correlation was observed between the C/N ratio (which ranged from 13.9 to 61.4) and the CA DS-1.7 film weight loss. Decreasing moisture contents of the compost Mix-2 from 60 and 50 and 40% resulted in dramatic changes in polymer degradation such that CA DS-1.7 showed an increase in the time period for a complete disappearance of polymer films from 6 to 16 and 30 days, respectively. © 1994 Plenum Publishing Corporation. |
Persistent Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/178569 |
ISSN |
DC Field | Value | Language |
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dc.contributor.author | Gu, JD | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Yang, S | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Welton, R | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Eberiel, D | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Mccarthy, SP | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Gross, RA | en_US |
dc.date.accessioned | 2012-12-19T09:48:27Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2012-12-19T09:48:27Z | - |
dc.date.issued | 1994 | en_US |
dc.identifier.citation | Journal Of Environmental Polymer Degradation, 1994, v. 2 n. 2, p. 129-135 | en_US |
dc.identifier.issn | 1064-7546 | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/178569 | - |
dc.description.abstract | Previous research in our laboratory reported a convenient laboratory-scale composting test method to study the weight loss of polymer films in aerobic thermophilic (53°C) reactors maintained at a 60% moisture content. The laboratory-scale compost reactors contained the following synthetic compost mixture (percentage on dry-weight basis): tree leaves (45.0), shredded paper (16.5), food (6.7), meat (5.8), cow manure (17.5), sawdust (1.9), aluminum and steel shavings (2.4), glass beads (1.3), urea (1.9), and a compost seed (1.0) which is designated Mix-1 in this work. To simplify the laboratory-scale compost weight loss test method and better understand how compost mixture compositions and environmental parameters affect the rate of plastic degradation, a systematic variation of the synthetic mixture composition as well as the moisture content was carried out. Cellulose acetate (CA) with a degree of substitution (DS) value of 1.7 and cellophane films were chosen as test polymer substrates for this work. The extent of CA DS-1.7 and cellophane weight loss as a function of the exposure time remained unchanged when the metal and glass components of the mixture were excluded in Mix-2. Further study showed that large variations in the mixture composition such as the replacement of tree leaves, food, meat, and sawdust with steam-exploded wood and alfalfa (forming Mix-C) could be made with little or no change in the time dependence of CA DS-1.7 film weight loss. In contrast, substituting tree leaves, food, meat, cow manure, and sawdust with steam-exploded wood in combination with either Rabbit Choice (Mix-D) or starch and urea (Mix-E) resulted in a significant time increase (from 7 to 12 days) for the complete disappearance of CA DS-1.7 films. Interestingly, in this work no direct correlation was observed between the C/N ratio (which ranged from 13.9 to 61.4) and the CA DS-1.7 film weight loss. Decreasing moisture contents of the compost Mix-2 from 60 and 50 and 40% resulted in dramatic changes in polymer degradation such that CA DS-1.7 showed an increase in the time period for a complete disappearance of polymer films from 6 to 16 and 30 days, respectively. © 1994 Plenum Publishing Corporation. | en_US |
dc.language | eng | en_US |
dc.relation.ispartof | Journal of Environmental Polymer Degradation | en_US |
dc.subject | Biodegradable Polymers | en_US |
dc.subject | Biodegradation Testing | en_US |
dc.subject | Cellulose Acetate | en_US |
dc.subject | Compost Simulation | en_US |
dc.subject | Moisture Content | en_US |
dc.subject | Municipal Solid Waste | en_US |
dc.subject | Plastic Film Weight Loss | en_US |
dc.subject | Polymer Biodegradation | en_US |
dc.subject | Polymer Degradation | en_US |
dc.subject | Synthetic Compost Mixes | en_US |
dc.title | Effect of environmental parameters on the degradability of polymer films in laboratory-scale composting reactors | en_US |
dc.type | Article | en_US |
dc.identifier.email | Gu, JD: jdgu@hkucc.hku.hk | en_US |
dc.identifier.authority | Gu, JD=rp00701 | en_US |
dc.description.nature | link_to_subscribed_fulltext | en_US |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1007/BF02074781 | en_US |
dc.identifier.scopus | eid_2-s2.0-0028404726 | en_US |
dc.identifier.volume | 2 | en_US |
dc.identifier.issue | 2 | en_US |
dc.identifier.spage | 129 | en_US |
dc.identifier.epage | 135 | en_US |
dc.identifier.eissn | 1572-8900 | - |
dc.identifier.scopusauthorid | Gu, JD=7403129601 | en_US |
dc.identifier.scopusauthorid | Yang, S=7408522824 | en_US |
dc.identifier.scopusauthorid | Welton, R=7004904411 | en_US |
dc.identifier.scopusauthorid | Eberiel, D=6602234796 | en_US |
dc.identifier.scopusauthorid | McCarthy, SP=35431476300 | en_US |
dc.identifier.scopusauthorid | Gross, RA=7403099956 | en_US |
dc.identifier.issnl | 1064-7546 | - |