Turkish Journal of Chemistry
DOI
10.3906/kim-1208-19
Abstract
A series of degradable films was prepared, and 2 formulas of polyethylene (PE) films with the highest degradable performance were experimentally determined. These films contained 3.43% and 0.44% stearate, and were denoted as PE-3 and PE-4, respectively. Their biodegradability was studied in a laboratory-controlled composting test using ordinary PE film (OPEF) as a control. Contrast composting experiments indicated that the biodegradability of untreated samples was very low, and that the biodegradation rates of PE films after natural aging were significantly higher. FT-IR analysis showed that OPEF changed little after the composting experiment, and that PE-3 and PE-4 showed a carbonyl absorption peak at 1720 cm^{-1}, whose intensity increased with increased composting time. Analysis of the viscometric-average molecular weight revealed that it changed little for untreated film but significantly decreased for aged films, especially PE-3, after the composting experiments.
Keywords
Resulting polyethylene film, biodegradability, composting
First Page
859
Last Page
866
Recommended Citation
ZHANG, XUEMEI; HUANG, YAXI; LI, DEQIANG; WEN, ZICHENG; SUI, BAOXUN; and LIU, ZHIYONG
(2013)
"Biodegradability of degradable mulching film in a laboratory-controlled composting test,"
Turkish Journal of Chemistry: Vol. 37:
No.
6, Article 1.
https://doi.org/10.3906/kim-1208-19
Available at:
https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/chem/vol37/iss6/1