Study on the degradability of plastics with prodegradant additives during anaerobic and aerobic biological waste treatment processes

Abstract The degradability of conventional plastic packaging specimens made from PP and PET, that were produced with novel prodegradant additives, was investigated during biological waste treatment processes. additives merchandised to foster the degradation commodity plastics by enzymatic or abiotic Four different two evaluated for their biodegradability anaerobic aerobic conditions. Aerobic in laboratory rotting tests, simulating conditions composting a plant according Austrian state-of-the-art, while digestion reactors. study shows only PET showed loss mass ca. 6.5%, 50 days at 52 °C. None degraded process. materials fragmented into microplastic particles sizes > 1 mm under However, FTIR analysis revealed oxidation case specimens, which indicated mediated process composting, independent mechanism predegradation. Under conditions, containing reactors more biogas within first 20 digestion, did not originate an observable plastics.