Evaluation of biodegradation-promoting additives for plastics

18 March 2015

Biodegradation-promoting additives for polymers are increasingly being used around the world with the claim that they effectively render commercial polymers biodegradable. However, there is a lot of uncertainty about their effectiveness in degrading polymers in different environments.
Researchers at Michigan State University in the USA evaluated the effect of biodegradation-promoting additives on the biodegradation of polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). They found no evidence that these additives promote and/or enhance biodegradation of PE or PET polymers. An article about the research is published in Environmental Science & Technology.
Click here for an abstract of the article.

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