木质素在塑料中的应用

总结了国内外近10年来木质素在塑料中的应用进展，重点对木质素在PVC、PP、PE、PF、PU等5个方面的研究成果进行了系统阐述，并对该技术的发展方向进行了分析预测。     

Standardization and certification in the area of environmentally degradable plastics

Environmentally degradable polymers and plastics (EDPs) are a group of polymeric materials experiencing a rapid growth in number as well as in their applications and quantities used. The assessment of their key characteristic - degradability, including eventually biodegradability as the ultimate stage, is scientifically and technically a challenging issue and has led to differing interpretations in the past. In order to standardize techniques and criteria a number of standards were established by different standardization bodies which are also used as a basis for certification schemes. An up-to-date inventory of the rapidly growing standardization body is presented with basic interpretation to help guide the non-expert. A basic introduction to EDPs and polymer degradation is added for clarity.     

Composting and biodegradation of thermally processed feather keratin polymer

Proteins obtained from agricultural sources represent a unique feedstock from which to prepare thermally processable polymers. In this study, thermally processed feather keratin films were composted with three-month-old compost inoculum in self-heating laboratory composters for 30 days and temperature and carbon dioxide development monitored. About 24% of the available carbon in the feather keratin polymer (FKP) was metabolized in this time and this may not be high enough for some applications. Degradation of the feather keratin polymers was observed within 10 days with concurrent molecular weight reduction measured using FT-IR. Visual inspection of the polymers also showed destruction of the films. A change in crystallinity was observed in DSC analysis and some degradation processes could be inferred from this as well.     

Photocatalytic activity and biodegradation of polyhydroxybutyrate films containing titanium dioxide

This study aims to evaluate the photocatalytic activity and biodegradation of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) films containing titanium dioxide (TiO₂). Nanosized TiO₂ photocatalysts were immobilized onto PHB film to overcome the difficulty of the recovery process. PHB is a suitable base material as it is naturally biodegradable and is produced from renewable resources. The photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds, photocatalytic sterilization activity and biodegradation rate in garden soil of PHB-TiO₂ composite films were investigated. After an hour under solar illumination, 96% of methylene blue solution was decolorized. The antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) using PHB-TiO₂ composite film exhibited enhanced photocatalytic sterilization activity over time. As for the ability to biodegrade, PHB-TiO₂ composite films placed on soil surface with no direct solar illumination showed slower degradation rate compared to those receiving direct solar illumination. Interestingly, the latter composite films showed faster degradation rates compared to pure PHB films indicating that the degradation is mainly due to photocatalytic activity. PHB-TiO₂ composite films buried in soil generally showed slower degradation rates compared to pure PHB films and were dependent on the soil microbial activity.     

Crystallization behavior and biodegradation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and poly(ethylene glycol) multiblock copolymers

Block copolymerization by using isocyanates is an effective method for incorporating PHB and PEG because it can prepare copolymers with good properties, such as toughness, strength, and so on. In this study, we adopted soil suspension system to estimate the biodegradability of a series of PHB/PEG multiblock copolymers with different compositions and block lengths. In the degradation process, the changes in weight loss, molecular weight, and tensile strength were periodically measured to determine the biodegradability, and the surface morphology was also observed by SEM. In contrast to pure PHB, the weight loss of the copolymer was relatively lower. On the other hand, the tensile strength and molecular weight experienced apparent decrease, and for BHG1000-3-1, they reached 46.7% and 77.7% of the initial value, respectively. SEM observation showed that the surface was covered with numerous erosion pits. All these indicate that the degradation indeed took place and long-chain molecules have been hydrolyzed into shorter ones. The crystallization behavior was also investigated by DSC and WAXD. The results showed that both the segments, PEG and PHB, can form crystalline phases at lower PHB contents ranging from 29% to 44%, and when PHB component was more than 60%, only PHB phase can crystallize.     

The effect of UV-irradiation on composting of polyethylene modified by cellulose

LDPE and its blend with cellulose, obtained by extrusion, were UV-irradiated with different doses or biodegraded in soil up to 1 year. Simultaneously, the same samples were 1 year biodegraded after 20 h UV pre-irradiation in the same conditions. The course of photo- and biodegradation was monitored by estimation of average molecular weights and polydispersity, gel amount, changes of PE crystallinity and mechanical properties. Moreover, the biodegradation degree was calculated on the basis of carbon dioxide evolved and surface morphological changes were observed by SEM. It was found that biodegradation of PE + cellulose is hampered by intermolecular crosslinking of both components. Although, the rate of decomposition of PE + cellulose blends is low it is enough for disintegration of such materials in the natural environment.     

Development of a systems analysis approach for resolving the structure of biodegrading soil systems

An experimental and mathematical method is developed for the microbial systems analysis of polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-degrading mixed cultures in PAH-contaminated “town gas” soil systems. Frequency response is the primary experimental and data analysis tool used to probe the structure of these complicated systems. The objective is to provide a fundamental protocol for evaluating the performance of specific mixed microbial cultures on specific soil systems by elucidating the salient system variables and their interactions. Two well-described reactor systems, a constant volume stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and a plug flow differential volume reactor, are used in order to remove performance effects that are related to reactor type as opposed to system structure. These two reactor systems are well-defined systems that can be described mathematically and represent the two extremes of one potentially important system variable, macroscopic mass transfer. The experimental and mathematical structure of the protocol is described, experimental data is presented, and data analysis is demonstrated for the stripping, sorption, and biodegradation of napththalene.     

Novel evaluation method of biodegradabilities for oil-based polycaprolactone by naturally occurring radiocarbon-14 concentration using accelerator mass spectrometry based on ISO 14855-2 in controlled compost

The biodegradabilities of poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) powders (av. size = 180.7 μm) in controlled compost at 58 °C have been studied using the microbial oxidative degradation analyzer (MODA) based on ISO 14855-2 entitled “Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under controlled composting conditions - Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide - Part 2: Gravimetric measurement of carbon dioxide evolved in a laboratory-scale test”. The biodegradability of the PCL powders was 101.4% in a 56-day test period by the ISO method. The biodegradabilities of PCL powders have been studied using percent modern carbon (pMC) measured by accelerated mass spectrometry (AMS). Trapped CO₂ was analyzed by AMS to determine the pMC (sample) using ¹⁴C radiocarbon concentration. By using the theory that the pMC (sample) was the sum of pMC (compost) (104.88%) and pMC (PCL) (0%) as the respective ratios in the determined period, CO₂ (respiration) was calculated only from one reaction vessel. The biodegradability of PCL powders was 79.9% in a 56-day test period by the AMS method. It was found that respiration activities in the sample vessel including PCL, compost and sea sand were the same as that in the blank vessel including compost and sea sand without PCL during the active biodegradation period (0-33 day) at 58 °C. It was confirmed that respiration activities in the sample vessel were slightly higher than that in the blank vessel after active biodegradation due to the propagation of microorganisms using energy and metabolites by PCL biodegradation during those periods.     

Synthesis and properties of biodegradable elastomeric epoxy modified polyurethanes based on poly(ε-caprolactone) and poly(ethylene glycol)

Biodegradable polyurethane elastomers with potential for applications in medical implants with tunable degradation rate and physical properties were synthesized from reaction of epoxy terminated polyurethanes (EUP) with 1,6-hexamethylene diamine (HMDA) as curing agent. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as well as 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) were used for preparation of isocyanate terminated polyurethanes which were subsequently blocked with glycidol to prepare EUPs. All materials were characterized by conventional methods, and their properties were studied fully. Results showed that elastomers based on PEG exhibit superior degradation rate and inferior mechanical properties in comparison to elastomers based on PCL. Optimum degradation rate and mechanical properties were obtained from elastomers made from mixture of PCL and PEG base EUPs.     

Laboratory investigation of biodegradability of a polyurethane foam under anaerobic conditions

Polyurethane (PU) foams can be used in many remediation applications as an isolation material to prevent the release of hazardous materials into the environment. The integrity of a PU foam was investigated in this study using short-term accelerated laboratory experiments including bioavailability assays, soil burial experiments, and accelerated bioreactors to determine the fate of PU foam in the soil where anaerobic processes are dominant. The experimental results have shown that the studied PU foam is likely not biodegradable under anaerobic conditions. Neither weight loss nor a change in the tensile strength of the PU material after biological exposure was observed. The FT-IR chemical signature of the PU foams was also nearly identical before and after biological exposure. The composition of the PU material (aromatic polyester and polyether PU) used in this study could have played a significant role in its resistance to microbial attack during the short-term accelerated experiments.