Biodegradability of Plastics |
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| Authors: | Yutaka Tokiwa Buenaventurada P. Calabia Charles U. Ugwu Seiichi Aiba |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Okinawa Industrial Technology Center/12-2 Suzaki, Uruma, Okinawa 904-2234, Japan; E-Mail: (C.U.U.);2. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)/Tsukuba Central 6, Higashi, Tsukuba Ibaraki 305- 8566, Japan; E-Mails: (B.P.C.); (S.A.) |
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| Abstract: | Plastic is a broad name given to different polymers with high molecular weight, which can be degraded by various processes. However, considering their abundance in the environment and their specificity in attacking plastics, biodegradation of plastics by microorganisms and enzymes seems to be the most effective process. When plastics are used as substrates for microorganisms, evaluation of their biodegradability should not only be based on their chemical structure, but also on their physical properties (melting point, glass transition temperature, crystallinity, storage modulus etc.). In this review, microbial and enzymatic biodegradation of plastics and some factors that affect their biodegradability are discussed. |
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| Keywords: | aliphatic polyesters bio-based plastics biodegradability enzymatic degradation microbial degradation |
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