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Shimadzu Review 79[1・2] (2022)
Abstract
Although marine biodegradable plastics are being developed and introduced to solve the problem of marine plastic debris, there are limited reports on their biodegradation mechanisms and safety. This article reports the results of measuring the progress of actual biodegradation using various mass spectrometers and examining the time it takes for sorption of chemical substances to reach equilibrium. Biodegradation tests using PHBH and seawater detected two monomers and several oligomers that are components of PHBH. Taking into consideration the quantification results and the degree of biodegradation suggests that further degradation may be progressing. Sorption experiments show no sorption of acetaminophen on PHBH; sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on PHBH reached equilibrium in 72 hours, which is similar to low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Differences in the distribution ratio were observed for some PAHs and were lower for PHBH than for LDPE.
Shimadzu Techno-Research, Inc, Kyoto, Japan
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