Biodegradation of polyethylene oxide is used to facilitate the recovery of agricultural film
Biodegradation of polyethylene oxide is used to facilitate the recovery of agricultural film
Researchers at south China agricultural university in guangzhou, China, have studied an effective, environmentally friendly and biodegradable polyolefin material to help solve the problem of agricultural polyolefins. Polyolefins are widely used in agricultural applications (for example, greenhouse, cover or tunneling). In fact, 80 percent of plastic coverings are reportedly made from polyolefins, such as polyethylene. Although this material can promote good harvest, most polyolefin plastic mulch is problematic. The researchers used PMMA surface modified TiO2 nanoparticles as additives to promote the degradation of polyethylene. They found that the composite membranes made from LDPE and these modified nanoparticles showed greater weight loss than the pure LDPE samples after uv exposure. In addition, they observed the growth of active fungi in their radiation composite samples, which may lead to further biodegradation of the membranes. Oxidative biodegradation (e.g. non-biological and biodegradation) of polyethylene has been proven to be a promising approach to the problem of plastic pollution. In this method, oxidant additives (such as titanium dioxide, TiO2, nanoparticles) are introduced into polyethylene matrix to accelerate the rate of non-biodegradation. The former oxidizer reacts with water and oxygen under UV radiation to form hydroxyl, which can then induce the degradation of polyethylene. As a result, smaller hydrophilic molecules can further biodegrade in the presence of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae. However, the process is usually very slow and is limited by the formation of nanoparticles.
