Abstract
Polyethylene (PE) has found widespread use as a packaging material. Plastics waste disposal, as one of the serious environmental issues, has caused much criticism. The environmental oxidative- and bio- dual degradable linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) samples containing Eco-Benign Plastics (EBP) pro-oxidant additives were submitted to an investigation aimed at evaluating their preliminary oxidative degradation in natural environment or accelerated oven aging and their ultimate biodegradation in solid incubation substrate or soil composting conditions. Original and test samples submitted to abiotic oxidation including photo degradation and thermal degradation were characterized by means of FT-IR and GPC. Biodegradation test simulating soil burial and composting conditions reveals that the biodegradation degree exceeded 30%. The degradation process is accompanied by a dramatic change in the structural characteristics of the test samples. It is clear that LLDPE-EBP formulations are effective in promoting the oxidation and subsequent biodegradation of polyethylene in natural and soil environment.
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