The short-term degradation of cellulosic pulp in lake water and peat soil: A multi-analytical study from the micro to the molecular level

A mechanism of cellulose degradation in these natural environments was formulated: the degradation of cellulose in these natural environments proceeds through a depolymerisation step, initially involving the amorphous regions of cellulose, until the size of oligomers becomes sufficiently small to allow metabolisation by microorganisms or solubilisation by water. Secondly, a loss of carbohydrates was detected after five years of ageing and the loss reached 25% and 55% for the dark areas of samples aged in peat soil and lake water, respectively. Peat soil was found to be more suitable than lake water in terms of preservation of carbohydrates.