Abstract
Non-biodegradable plastic is one of the biggest environmental problems of our lifetime and, considering the present societal needs, it will get worse. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop sustainable and renewable alternatives to plastic, such as plastic-like materials obtained from biodegradable polymers, namely sulfated polysaccharides, considered one of the most viable alternatives. There is also a need to obtain these materials in an environmentally and economically sustainable way. The hereby developed process of obtaining film-forming solutions from semi-refined porphyran (PorphSR) uses a green solvent (hot water) with a high extraction yield of semi-refined porphyran (26.66 ± 0.27%) in a reproducible way and with low levels of contaminants. The obtained semi-refined porphyran showed good antioxidant potential in all tests performed: HPSA (Δ0.066 ± 0.002), DPPH (2.23 ± 0.78%), FRAP (0.420 ± 0.014 eq. ascorbic acid µg mg−1 of extract) and ABTS (20.46 ± 0.90%). After being cast into films, the most notable antioxidant properties were those of the semi-refined porphyran in the DPPH, FRAP and ABTS assays and of the pectin, (PorphSR_PcT and PorphSR_PcT_Gly) in the HPSA assay. Morphologically, the films showed relatively homogeneous and low roughness surfaces. It is concluded that the described method to obtain semi-refined porphyran is feasible and reproducible, and that the developed films, mainly PorfP2_PcT_Gly, proved to be a potential candidate for non-biodegradable plastic substitutes.
Highlights
Petroleum-derived plastic is a virtually non-degradable anthropogenic compound, and its residues constitute one of the biggest environmental problems of our time [1].It is non-biodegradable due to its long-chain polymeric structure, lacking a functional group susceptible to microbial degradation, high molecular weight, hydrophobicity and crystallinity [2].Due to its diverse applications, there has been a 20-fold increase in production over five decades since 1964, reaching 335 million tons in 2015 [2], with a forecast of doubling by 2038 and nearly quadrupling by 2050 [3]
Plastic debris is a threat to marine life and a growing environmental problem that occurs on a global scale [5,6]
The yield obtained was 26.66% in algae dry weight; the protein content was below the detection limit; the concentration of D-galactose corresponded to 67.74% of the dry weight of the extract, and the presence of phenols was detected in 0.616 gallic acid equivalent μg·mg−1 of sample
Summary
Petroleum-derived plastic is a virtually non-degradable anthropogenic compound, and its residues constitute one of the biggest environmental problems of our time [1].It is non-biodegradable due to its long-chain polymeric structure, lacking a functional group susceptible to microbial degradation, high molecular weight, hydrophobicity and crystallinity [2].Due to its diverse applications, there has been a 20-fold increase in production over five decades since 1964, reaching 335 million tons in 2015 [2], with a forecast of doubling by 2038 and nearly quadrupling by 2050 [3]. Petroleum-derived plastic is a virtually non-degradable anthropogenic compound, and its residues constitute one of the biggest environmental problems of our time [1]. It is non-biodegradable due to its long-chain polymeric structure, lacking a functional group susceptible to microbial degradation, high molecular weight, hydrophobicity and crystallinity [2]. Microplastics, microscopic fragments of plastic, can be introduced into the food chain through ingestion, affecting all trophic levels, including nonmarine organisms; its toxicity can trigger pathologies [8], and, by direct contact, they can cause rashes and skin irritation [9,10] in many living organisms, including humans [11,12]
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