Photochemical Transformation of Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) and Its Effects on Enzymatic Hydrolyzability

De Hoe, Guilhem X.; Zumstein, Michael T.; Getzinger, Gordon J.; Rüegsegger, Isabelle; Kohler, Hans-Peter E.; Maurer-Jones, Melissa A.; Sander, Michael; Hillmyer, Marc A.; McNeill, Kristopher

doi:10.1021/acs.est.8b06458

Photochemical Transformation of Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) and Its Effects on Enzymatic Hydrolyzability

Journal Article · Wed Feb 06 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Environmental Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b06458· OSTI ID:1504974

^[1]; ^[2]; ^[2]; Rüegsegger, Isabelle ^[2]; Kohler, Hans-Peter E. ^[3]; Maurer-Jones, Melissa A. ^[2]; ^[2]; ^[1]; ^[2]

Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)
ETH Zurich (Switzerland). Inst. of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics
Swiss Federal Inst. of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Dübendorf (Switzerland). Environmental Microbiology

Biodegradable polyesters are being increasingly used to replace conventional, nondegradable polymers in agricultural applications such as plastic film for mulching. For many of these applications, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) is a promising biodegradable material. However, PBAT is also susceptible to photochemical transformations. To better understand how photochemistry affects the biodegradability of PBAT, in this work we irradiated blown, nonstabilized, transparent PBAT films and studied their enzymatic hydrolysis, which is considered the rate-limiting step in polyester biodegradation. In parallel, we characterized the irradiated PBAT films by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The rate of enzymatic PBAT hydrolysis decreased when the density of light-induced cross-links within PBAT exceeded a certain threshold. Mass-spectrometric analysis of the enzymatic hydrolysis products of irradiated PBAT films provided evidence for radical-based cross-linking of two terephthalate units that resulted in the formation of benzophenone-like molecules. In a proof-of-principle experiment, we demonstrated that the addition of photostabilizers to PBAT films mitigated the negative effect of UV irradiation on the enzymatic hydrolyzability of PBAT. This work advances the understanding of light-induced changes on the enzyme-mediated hydrolysis of aliphatic-aromatic polyesters and will therefore have important implications for the development of biodegradable plastics.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)

Sponsoring Organization:: BASF SE; Dow Chemical Company; E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co.; ETH Zurich; National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357

OSTI ID:: 1504974

Journal Information:: Environmental Science and Technology, Journal Name: Environmental Science and Technology Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 53; ISSN 0013-936X

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: ENGLISH

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