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6. Ageing – Degradation and stability
Finished PLA products are exposed to different environmental conditions during their life cycle, which promotes degradation and leads to loss of properties. Degradation can be hydrolytic, microbial, photochemical, thermal or enzymatic, and depending on the application, can be an advantage or a drawback. This property opens the way to new end-of-life recovery opportunities such as chemical recycling and composting.
6.1 Hydrolytic degradation
Chemical degradation by hydrolysis is the main mechanism involved in PLA degradation, particularly in composters. Due to the presence of ester bonds between each monomer unit, polyesters are sensitive to hydrolysis.
Water molecules will react with PLA by cutting the easily cleavable ester bonds (figure...
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Ageing – Degradation and stability
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Bibliography
- (1) - E. B. &. N. Institute - « http://www.european-bioplastics.org » [En ligne] (décembre 2016).
- (2) - Natureworks - « Innovation Takesroot Conference »....
Websites
Bioplastics magazine – Reference magazine for biopolymers
http://www.bioplasticsmagazine.com (page consulted on February 27, 2017)
Events
Biannual conference organized by Natureworks – Innovation takes root.
http://www.innovationtakesroot.com
Biannual conference – PLA world congress.
http://www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/en/events/4plaworldcongress
...Standards and norms
- Evaluation of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under controlled composting conditions – Method by analysis of released carbon dioxide. - ISO 14855 -
- Packaging – Requirements for packaging recoverable by composting and biodegradation – Test program and assessment criteria for final acceptance of packaging. - EN 13432 -
- Plastics – Specifications for plastics suitable for home composting....
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PLA producers
Natureworks (United States)
Zhejiang Hisun Biomaterials Co. LTD (China)
Synbra Holding BV (Netherlands)
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