Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5204925 | Polymer Degradation and Stability | 2006 | 10 Pages |
Abstract
This paper presents the degradation trends of selected polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) films in a tropical mangrove environment. The biodegradability of homopolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] and its co-polymers, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-5Â mol% 3-hydroxyvalerate) [P(3HB-co-5Â mol% 3HV)] and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-5Â mol% 3-hydroxyhexanoate) [P(3HB-co-5Â mol% 3HHx)], was investigated along with P(3HB) films containing 38Â wt% titanium dioxide (TiO2) [P(3HB)-38Â wt% TiO2]. The degradation of these formulations was monitored for 8 weeks at three different zones in an intermediate mangrove compartment along Sungai Pinang, adjacent to a famous fishing village on south of Penang Island. The degradation rate was observed both on the surface and in the sediment and was expressed in percentage of weight loss. The microbial enumeration done using sediment from the different zones indicated similar colony-forming unit (CFU) counts even though differences were noticed in the degradation profile of the various films in the respective zones. The results obtained revealed that co-polymers disintegrated at similar or higher rate than the homopolymer, P(3HB). However, the incorporation of TiO2 into PHB films caused the degradation rate of P(3HB)-38Â wt% TiO2 composite film to be far slower than all the other PHA films. The overall rate of degradation of all PHA films placed on the sediment surface was slower than those buried in the sediment. Microscopic analyses showed that the surface morphology of P(3HB-co-5Â mol% 3HHx) was more porous compared to P(3HB) and P(3HB-co-5Â mol% 3HV) films, which may be an important factor for its rapid degradation.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
Authors
Nanthini Sridewi, Kesaven Bhubalan, Kumar Sudesh,