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Assessment of Petroleum-Based Plastic and Bioplastics Degradation Using Anaerobic Digestion

Author

Listed:
  • Benjamin Nachod

    (Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA)

  • Emily Keller

    (Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA)

  • Amro Hassanein

    (Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA)

  • Stephanie Lansing

    (Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA)

Abstract

Bioplastics have emerged as a viable alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastic (PET). Three of the most common bioplastic polymers are polyhydroxybutyrate-valerate (PHBV), polylactide (PLA), and cellulose-based bioplastic (CBB). This study assessed biodegradation through anaerobic digestion (AD) of these three bioplastics and PET digested with food waste (FW) at mesophilic (35 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) temperatures. The four plastic types were digested with FW in triplicate batch reactors. Additionally, two blank treatments (inoculum-only) and two PHBV treatments (with FW + inoculum and inoculum-only) were digested at 35 and 55 °C. The PHBV treatment without FW at 35 °C (PHBV-35) produced the most methane (CH 4 ) normalized by the volatile solids (VS) of the bioplastics over the 104-day experimental period (271 mL CH 4 /g VS). Most bioplastics had more CH 4 production than PET when normalized by digester volume or gram substrate added, with the PLA-FW-55 (5.80 m 3 CH 4 /m 3 ), PHBV-FW-55 (2.29 m 3 CH 4 /m 3 ), and PHBV-55 (4.05 m 3 CH 4 /m 3 ) having 848,275 and 561%, respectively, more CH 4 production than the PET treatment. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed full degradation of PHBV pellets after AD. The results show that when PHBV is used as bioplastic, it can be degraded with energy production through AD.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin Nachod & Emily Keller & Amro Hassanein & Stephanie Lansing, 2021. "Assessment of Petroleum-Based Plastic and Bioplastics Degradation Using Anaerobic Digestion," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:23:p:13295-:d:692465
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Buzby, Jean C. & Farah-Wells, Hodan & Hyman, Jeffrey, 2014. "The Estimated Amount, Value, and Calories of Postharvest Food Losses at the Retail and Consumer Levels in the United States," Economic Information Bulletin 164262, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Ankita Shrestha & Mieke C. A. A. van-Eerten Jansen & Bishnu Acharya, 2020. "Biodegradation of Bioplastic Using Anaerobic Digestion at Retention Time as per Industrial Biogas Plant and International Norms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-9, May.
    3. Alissara Reungsang & Sakchai Pattra & Sureewan Sittijunda, 2012. "Optimization of Key Factors Affecting Methane Production from Acidic Effluent Coming from the Sugarcane Juice Hydrogen Fermentation Process," Energies, MDPI, vol. 5(11), pages 1-12, November.
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    2. Angeliki Maragkaki & Christos Tsompanidis & Kelly Velonia & Thrassyvoulos Manios, 2023. "Pilot-Scale Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Food Waste and Polylactic Acid," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-11, July.
    3. Matevž Zupančič & Valerija Možic & Matic Može & Franc Cimerman & Iztok Golobič, 2022. "Current Status and Review of Waste-to-Biogas Conversion for Selected European Countries and Worldwide," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-25, February.
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