Study on the onset mechanism of bio-blister degradation of polyolefin by diatom attachment in seawater.

ABSTRACT: It is essential to develop a mechanism for lowering the molecular weight of polyolefins to achieve biodegradation in seawater. In this study, a polypropylene/polylactic acid blend sample was first subjected to photodegradation pretreatment, and it was confirmed that in pure water, the acid generated promotes the polypropylene degradation (autoxidation), while in alkaline seawater, the promotion was inhibited by a neutralization reaction. In the autoxidation of polyolefins in alkaline seawater, aqueous Cl^- was also the inhibitor. However, we found that autoxidation could be initiated even in seawater by lowering the pH and using dissociation of ClOH (called blister degradation). The blister degradation mechanism enabled autoxidation, even in seawater, by taking advantage of the a

SUBMITTER: Nakatani H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10873352 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature