ISSN:
1572-8900
Keywords:
Biodegradation
;
chitin
;
chitosan
;
film
;
soil
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Energy, Environment Protection, Nuclear Power Engineering
,
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
Notes:
Abstract The biodegradation of polyethylene-chitin (PE-chitin) and polyethylene-chitosan (PE-chitosan) films, containing 10% by weight chitin or chitosan, by pure microbial cultures and in a soil environment was studied. Three soil-inhabited organsims,Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, andBeauveria bassiana were able to utilize chitin and chitosan in prepared PE-chitin and PE-chitosan films after eight weeks of incubation at 25°C in a basal medium containing no source of carbon or nitrogen. In a soil environment, the biodegradation of those films was studied and compared with a commercial biodegradable film containing 6% by the weight of corn starch. In soil placed in the lab, 73.4% of the chitosan and 84.7% of the chitin in the films were degraded, while 46.5% of the starch in the commercial film was degraded after six months of incubation. In an open field, 100% of the chitin and 100% of the chitosan in the films were degraded, but only 85% of the starch in the commercial film was degraded after six months of incubation. The weight of controls, (polyethylene films), remained mainly stable during the incubation period. Both PE-chitin and PE-chitosan films degraded at a higher rate than the commercial starch-based film in a soil environment indicating the potential use of chitin-based films for the manufacturing of biodegradable packaging materials.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02067791
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