Biodegradable polymers - a partial way for decreasing the amount of plastic waste

Quimica nova

Marconato, José Carlos¹  Franchetti, Sandra Mara Martins¹ 

[1] Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Rio Claro, Brasil

关键词: biodegradable polymers;    plastic waste;    biodegradation.;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0100-40422006000400031

学科分类：化学（综合）

来源: Sociedade Brasileira de Quimica

【 摘 要 】

The large useof plastics has generated a waste deposit problem. Today plastic wastes represent20% in volume of the total waste in the municipal landfills. To solve the disposalproblem of plastics methods have been employed such as incineration, recycling,landfill disposal, biodegradation and the use of biodegradable polymers. Incinerationof plastic wastes provokes pollution due to the production of poisonous gases.Recycling is important to reduce final costs of plastic materials, but is notenough in face of the amount of discarded plastic. In landfills plastic wastesremain undegraded for a long time, causing space and pollution problems. Biodegradationis a feasible method to treat some plastics, but intensive research is necessaryto find conditions for the action of microorganisms. All of these methods areimportant and the practical application of each one depends on the type andamount of the plastic wastes and the environmental conditions. Therefore, agreat deal of research has focused on developing biodegradable plastics andits application because it is an important way for minimizing the effect ofthe large volume of plastic waste discarded in the world.

【 授权许可】

CC BY