Environmental Effect of polymer and Hydrolytic degradation

Effects of polymers on the environment



Not only effects but beyond their presence in oceans and the contamination of water from their processing, synthetic polymers are a big threat on land as they are mostly disposed of in landfills where they can sit gradually leaking pollutants into the soil for centuries as time goes by.


LeafsIt’s obvious that  when we use fabrics that can collect in nature, we need to worry about reducing their consumption, reuse and recycle (either by the reuse of raw material or the use of combustion energy). However, some parts that are made up of a limited amount of polymer money (i.e. a few grams) which can also be polluted with nutrients are difficult to obtain, disinfect, sorted which re-sort from nature.


This is the case of plastic bags and packaging, especially credit card used in intellectual nourishment , in medical and hygiene . In these pillowcase , the use of biodegradable polymer fabric s may be an excellent solution to the environment. Precisely for this grounds , we are now receiving a huge encumbrance of information on plastic cloth with less impact to the environment. And much of this information is contradictory , not bringing acceptable scientific consultation on the assertions made.

 Even the norms for biodegradation tests have been developed under influence of the manufacturers of biodegradable intersection as a putz to cellblock off challenger . Despite the somewhat confusing situation we are currently experiencing, the mathematical product on the mart place are being tested by consumers and the trend is that the most suitable fabric in every situation be known over time. 

Nevertheless something is right: the best product for a given applications programmer in a given market may not be the same for another application and/or another market. An important aspect to consider is to know where the polymer material will be disposed, to evaluate the experimental condition for biodegradation.

 Some polymers that biodegrade well in industrial composting conditions (senior high school gear temperature , high levels of wet and O ) biodegrade much more slowly in the soil at ambient temperatures, PLA (or polylactic acid) being an example.


Hydrolytic degradation of polymers


Graphical representation of Hydrolytic degradation of polymers

Biodegradable polymers undergo hydrolytic bond cleavage to form water-soluble products that can dissolve in an aqueous environment , resulting in wearing of polymer. Degradation is a chemical process in this sense and erosion involves physical phenomena such as dissolution and diffusion.


Hydrolysis is the cleavage of bonds in functional groups that segment adhesion in functional chemical groups by water reaction. Water body. This reaction occurs mainly in polymer polymers which take up a lot of moisture and have water-sensitive groups in the backbone of the polymer. Line of the spinal cord.


Some synthetic polymers that degrade when exposed to moisture include polyesters, polyester , polyanhydrides, polyamides, polyethers, and polycarbonates. The rate of hydrolytic degradation can vary from hours to years depending on the type eccentric of functional group, backbone structure, morphology syllable structure and pH.


Polymers that readily degrade in the presence of water include polyanhydrides, aliphatic polyesters with short midblocks like polylactic acid and certain poly(amino acids) like poly(glutamic acid)



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