Biodegradation of Polylactic Acid (PLA) in Soils

Öz

Biodegradable polymers are alternatives to petroleum-derived polymers. Polylactic acid (PLA) is the most widely used biodegradable polymer derived from renewable resources. According to the traditional waste management approach, 60% of all plastic ever produced ends up in landfills or natural environments. This has became an important environmental problem. End-of-life options for PLAs as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics are discussed in the context of circular economy. It is very important to understand the behaviour of these biodegradable polymers in soil after they become waste. In this study, the PLA samples were subjected to biodegradation in the soil at ambient temperature according to ASTM 5988 standard. Biodegradation in PLA after 90 days; physical appearances, mass loss, FTIR and SEM were evaluated. The weight loss rate of the samples after biodegradation was 0.9%. The physical appearances of PLA samples, FTIR and SEM results showed that the biodegradation rates of PLA in soil and ambient temperature are slow and it takes a longer time to fully degrade in this environment.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• ASTM 5988
• Polylactic acid
• Biodegradation
• Soil

TOPRAKLARDA POLİLAKTİK ASİTİN (PLA) BİYOBOZUNMASI

Öz

Biyobozunur polimerler, petrol türevli polimerlerin yerini almaya bir alternatiftir. Polilaktik asit (PLA), yenilenebilir kaynaklardan elde edilen ve biyolojik olarak parçalanabilen en yaygın kullanılan polimerdir. Kullanılan geleneksel atık yönetimi yaklaşımına göre, şimdiye kadar üretilen tüm plastiğin %60'ı, atık sahalarına veya doğal ortamlara atılmıştır. Bu da önemli bir çevre sorunu haline gelmiştir. Petrol bazlı plastiklere alternatif olan PLA’ların kullanım ömrü sonu seçenekleri, döngüsel ekonomi bağlamında tartışılmaktadır. Biyobozunur özellikleri olan bu polimerlerin, atık haline geldikten sonra toprak içerisindeki davranışlarını anlamak oldukça önemlidir. Bu çalışmada PLA numuneleri, ortam sıcaklığında, toprak içerisinde, ASTM 5988-18 standardına göre biyobozunmaya tabi tutulmuştur. 90 günlük inkübasyon süresinden sonra PLA’daki biyobozunma; fiziksel görünüş, kütle kaybı, FTIR ve SEM ile değerlendirilmiştir. Numunelerin, biyobozunmadan sonra ağırlık kaybı oranı %0,9’dur. PLA örneklerinin fiziksel görünüşleri, FTIR ve SEM sonuçları, PLA’nın toprakta ve ortam sıcaklığında biyobozunma hızlarının yavaş olduğunu ve bu ortamda tamamen bozunabilmeleri için daha uzun bir zamana ihtiyaç olduğunu göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• ASTM 5988
• Polilaktik Asit
• Biyobozunma
• Toprak

Kaynakça

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