PMID- 15864950
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20050829
LR  - 20171116
IS  - 0734-242X (Print)
VI  - 23
IP  - 2
DP  - 2005 Apr
TI  - Biodegradability of degradable plastic waste.
PG  - 95-100
AB  - Plastic waste constitutes the third largest waste volume in Malaysian municipal 
      solid waste (MSW), next to putrescible waste and paper. The plastic component in 
      MSW from Kuala Lumpur averages 24% (by weight), whereas the national mean is 
      about 15%. The 144 waste dumps in the country receive about 95% of the MSW, 
      including plastic waste. The useful life of the landfills is fast diminishing as 
      the plastic waste stays un-degraded for more than 50 years. In this study the 
      compostability of polyethylene and pro-oxidant additive-based environmentally 
      degradable plastics (EDP) was investigated. Linear low-density polyethylene 
      (LLDPE) samples exposed hydrolytically or oxidatively at 60 degrees C showed that 
      the abiotic degradation path was oxidative rather than hydrolytic. There was a 
      weight loss of 8% and the plastic has been oxidized as shown by the additional 
      carbonyl group exhibited in the Fourier transform infra red (FTIR) Spectrum. 
      Oxidation rate seemed to be influenced by the amount of pro-oxidant additive, the 
      chemical structure and morphology of the plastic samples, and the surface area. 
      Composting studies during a 45-day experiment showed that the percentage 
      elongation (reduction) was 20% for McD samples [high-density polyethylene, (HDPE) 
      with 3% additive] and LL samples (LLDPE with 7% additive) and 18% reduction for 
      totally degradable plastic (TDP) samples (HDPE with 3% additive). Lastly, 
      microbial experiments using Pseudomonas aeroginosa on carbon-free media with 
      degradable plastic samples as the sole carbon source, showed confirmatory 
      results. A positive bacterial growth and a weight loss of 2.2% for degraded 
      polyethylene samples were evident to show that the degradable plastic is 
      biodegradable.
FAU - Agamuthu, P
AU  - Agamuthu P
AD  - Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 
      agamuthu@um.edu.my
FAU - Faizura, Putri Nadzrul
AU  - Faizura PN
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - England
TA  - Waste Manag Res
JT  - Waste management & research : the journal of the International Solid Wastes and 
      Public Cleansing Association, ISWA
JID - 9881064
RN  - 0 (Soil)
RN  - 059QF0KO0R (Water)
RN  - 9002-88-4 (Polyethylene)
SB  - IM
MH  - Air
MH  - Biodegradation, Environmental
MH  - Bioreactors
MH  - Hot Temperature
MH  - Manufactured Materials
MH  - Oxidation-Reduction
MH  - Polyethylene/*metabolism
MH  - Pseudomonas aeruginosa/*metabolism
MH  - Refuse Disposal/*methods
MH  - Soil
MH  - Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
MH  - Tensile Strength
MH  - Water
EDAT- 2005/05/04 09:00
MHDA- 2005/08/30 09:00
CRDT- 2005/05/04 09:00
PHST- 2005/05/04 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2005/08/30 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2005/05/04 09:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1177/0734242X05051045 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Waste Manag Res. 2005 Apr;23(2):95-100. doi: 10.1177/0734242X05051045.