Japanese catalyst has developed a new polymer that can be used as a modifier to give PLA Marine biodegradability
publish：2025-02-21 12:15:25
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publish：2025-02-21 12:15:25
61
Recently, Japanese catalysts developed a Polyethylene Succinate (Polyethylene Succinate; PES is a new polymer as a skeleton, which can be used as a modifier of polylactic acid (PLA), making it Marine biodegradable and giving flexibility. By enhancing the performance of PLA, which is increasingly produced and widely used, it is expected to address the problem of Marine plastic waste and achieve sustainable development goals.
PES can biodegrade in soil or rivers, but it is difficult to decompose in the ocean because of the low concentration and few species of degrading bacteria. By partially introducing long-chain dicarboxylic acids such as Sebacic Acid and Dodecanedioic Acid, the new polymer improves the mobility of the polymer chain and thus exhibits Marine biodegradability comparable to that of cellulose.The new polymer also has gas resistance derived from PES. Although less crystalline than PES alone, it has higher gas resistance than existing biodegradable polymers. In addition, it has the same degree of softness and toughness as low density polyethylene (LDPE) in the film tear test.On the other hand, adding the new polymer to PLA, which can biodegrade only under 60°C composting conditions, will give it Marine biodegradability, and the new polymer has soft properties, which can improve the weakness of PLA's hard and brittle. It is also expected to be applied to polybutylene succinate (PBS) to give it Marine biodegradability.In addition, the new polymer is a copolymer, and a wide range of mechanical properties can be adjusted by changing the composition. Moreover, in addition to the succinic acid and ethylene glycol that constitute PES, sebacic acid is also used as the main raw material of castor oil, which will realize the full biological materialization.
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