Biodegradability of Conventional Plastics
Opportunities, Challenges, and Misconceptions
- 1st Edition - September 13, 2022
- Imprint: Elsevier
- Editors: Anjana Sarkar, Bhasha Sharma, Shashank Shekhar
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 8 9 8 5 8 - 4
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 8 8 6 1 1 - 6
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- Explains the fundamentals of plastic waste, lifecycle assessment and factors that influence the biodegradability of plastics
- Provides novel techniques for improved biodegradability, exploring areas such as pre-treatment, chemical additives, nanomaterials and microbial degradation
- Addresses current challenges and limitations in relation to bio-based and biodegradable plastics, microplastics and nanoplastics from bioplastics and plastic waste
Researchers, scientists, and advanced students in polymer science, plastics engineering, bio-based materials, nanomaterials, chemistry, biotechnology, environmental science, and materials science and engineering. R&D, engineers, and industrialists looking to develop plastics materials with increased biodegradability or interested in plastics and sustainability
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- List of contributors
- Chapter 1. Life cycle assessment and environmental impact of plastic waste
- Introduction
- Life cycle assessment
- Fate of plastics in the environment
- Movement of plastic trash: from land to aquatic ecosystem
- Environmental impact of various plastic products
- Major repercussions of plastic waste
- Global production of plastics and generation of waste
- Management of plastic wastes
- Recommendations to reduce and control plastic wastes
- Future directions and recommendations
- Conclusions
- Chapter 2. Composition, properties and other factors influencing plastics biodegradability
- Introduction
- Microbial degradation of plastic materials
- Influence of plastic properties on biodegradation
- Influence of environmental and external parameters on plastic biodegradation
- Challenges and misconceptions
- Conclusions, knowledge gaps, and future research
- Chapter 3. Bioplastics, biodegradable plastics, and degradation in natural environments
- Introduction
- Types of plastics
- Bioplastics classification
- Challenges of starch-based bioplastics
- Solutions for starch-based bioplastic challenges
- Methodology
- Degradation
- Conclusion
- Chapter 4. Bioplastics overview: are bioplastics the panacea for our environmental woes?
- Introduction
- What are bioplastics?
- Could bioplastics tackle the issue of natural plastic accumulation?
- What are the likely environmental dangers of using bioplastics?
- What is the capacity for bioplastics to tackle pollution caused by conventional petroleum-based plastics?
- What are the opportunities and difficulties of using bioplastics?
- Conclusion
- Chapter 5. Generation and impact of microplastics and nanoplastics from bioplastic sources
- Introduction
- Bioplastics: sources and sinks
- Bioplastics market
- Microplastics: sizes, forms, and manufacturing
- Nanoplastics
- Distribution of microplastics
- Fate of microplastics and nanoplastics
- Quantification of microplastics and nanoplastics
- Spectroscopic techniques
- Mitigation of microplastics and nanoplastics
- Health impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics
- Knowledge gaps and key directions
- Conclusion
- Chapter 6. Biodegradability of synthetic plastics: effective degradation mechanisms
- Introduction
- Market growth of synthetic polymers and challenges in degradation
- Synthetic polymers and biodegradation by microbial species
- Factors affecting the rate of biodegradation
- Role of enzymes in biodegradation
- Tests for assay of biodegradation of synthetic polymers
- Conclusion
- Chapter 7. Biodegradability of polyolefins: Processes and procedures
- Introduction
- Oxo-biodegradation mechanism of polyolefins
- Enhanced polyolefin biodegradation
- Programmed biodegradation and its consequences
- Future trends
- Conclusion
- Chapter 8. Biodegradability and current status of polyethylene terephthalate
- Introduction
- Synthesis and properties of polyethylene terephthalate
- Polyethylene terephthalate: applications and environmental impact
- Mechanism of polyethylene terephthalate biodegradation
- Polyethylene terephthalate-degrading microorganisms
- Ideonella sakaiensis—the polyethylene terephthalate specialist
- Polyethylene terephthalate-hydrolyzing enzymes
- Bioeconomy of polyethylene terephthalate biodegradation and bioproduction
- Recent advances in polyethylene terephthalate production and degradation
- Future prospects
- Chapter 9. Biodegradability and bioremediation of polystyrene-based pollutants: An overview of biological degradation of polystyrene and modified polystyrene for future studies
- Introduction
- What are the forms of polystyrene?
- Why are polystyrene-based pollutants so hard to biodegrade?
- Biodegradability of polystyrene-a review of known methods
- Chapter 10. Biodegradability of Polyvinyl chloride
- Introduction
- Types and properties of PVC
- PVC waste and environmental challenges
- PVC disposal methods
- Stages of PVC biodegradation
- Factors affecting PVC biodegradability
- PVC-degrading insects
- PVC-degrading microorganisms
- PVC-degrading enzymes
- Conclusion and prospects
- Chapter 11. Biodegradability of automotive plastics and composites
- Introduction
- Plastic pollution, an environmental health concern
- Plastic biodegradation challenges
- Remediation methods for plastics
- Plastics biodegradation
- Factors affecting plastics biodegradation by microbes
- Polymer composites
- Future prospects
- Conclusion
- Chapter 12. Biodegradability of agricultural plastic waste
- Introduction
- Issues and consequences of agricultural plastic waste
- Analysis of agricultural plastic wastes
- Mapping of agricultural plastic wastes
- Management of plastic waste
- Product safety associated with aesthetic pollution
- Significance of managing plastic wastes
- Legal requirements
- Environmental impact
- Improved human health
- Customized commercial waste management services
- Advantages of biodegradable plastic
- Less waste sent to landfills or incinerators
- Reduced energy to manufacture
- Fewer harmful substances released during breakdown
- Conclusion
- Chapter 13. Utilization of chemical additives to enhance biodegradability of plastics
- Introduction
- Biodegradable plastic
- Chemical additives
- Biodegradation-promoting additives
- Accelerating degradation
- Commercially available degradation-promoting additives
- Conclusions
- Chapter 14. The role of nanomaterials in plastics biodegradability
- Introduction
- Environmental concerns for microplastics and nanoplastics
- Remediation techniques for plastic pollution
- Bioplastics: a new generation of polymers
- Biodegradation mechanism
- Biodegradation of various polymers
- Conclusion and future scope
- Chapter 15. Microbial attachment studies on “plastic-specific” microorganisms
- Introduction
- Background of plastics within the environment
- Biodegradation
- Microbial bioremediation of plastic
- Mechanisms of microbial biodegradation
- Microbial colonization on the plastic surface
- The fate of microbial carbon biomass resolution
- Plastic forms and microbial attachment bioremediation
- Synthetic plastics
- Microplastics
- Bioremediation of marine-specific microplastics
- Characterization for biodegradation analysis
- Conclusion
- Chapter 16. Plastic waste to plastic value: Role of industrial biotechnology
- Introduction
- Impact of plastic waste on the environment and human health
- Recycling plastic waste
- Role of industrial biotechnology in plastic waste management
- Use of plastic waste as substrate for value-added products
- Challenges and prospects of industrial biotechnology
- Concluding remarks and future perspectives
- Chapter 17. Future prospects for the biodegradability of conventional plastics
- Introduction
- Scope of biodegradation
- Biodegradation parameters
- Properties of degradation of polymers
- Impact of biopolymers
- Research on plastics degradation
- Outlook for plastics degradation
- Prospects for biopolymers
- Conclusion
- Index
- Edition: 1
- Published: September 13, 2022
- No. of pages (Paperback): 408
- No. of pages (eBook): 408
- Imprint: Elsevier
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN: 9780323898584
- eBook ISBN: 9780323886116
AS
Anjana Sarkar
Anjana Sarkar, Head of Department and Professor, Department of Chemistry, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Delhi, India
Prof. Anjana Sarkar is currently Head of the Department of Chemistry at Netaji Subhas University of Technology. With 37 years of teaching and research experience at Netaji Subhas University of Technology, she has published various papers in national and international journals. Prof. Sarkar completed an AICTE sponsored R&D project on ‘Ternary Complexes of Transition Metal Ions with Novel Biomolecular like Kojic Acid & L-Amino acid: Synthesis & Study of Physicochemical Properties and their Bio-efficacy’, and has been awarded “Woman of the Year 1998” by the American Biographical Institute, North Carolina, USA.
Affiliations and expertise
Professor and Head of Department, Department of Chemistry, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Delhi, IndiaBS
Bhasha Sharma
Dr. Bhasha Sharma is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Shivaji College, University of Delhi, India. She received her BSc (2011) in Polymer Sciences from the University of Delhi, and completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2019. Her research interests revolve around sustainable polymers for packaging applications, environmentally benign approaches for biodegradation of plastic wastes, fabrication of bionanocomposites, and finding strategies to ameliorate the electrochemical activity of biopolymers.
Affiliations and expertise
Assistant Professor, University of Delhi, IndiaSS
Shashank Shekhar
Shashank Shekhar
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Delhi, India
Dr. Shashank Shekhar is currently an Assistant Professor at Netaji Subhas University of Technology and is also associated with the Quantum Research Centre of Excellence as Associate Director in the Department of Renewable Energy. He completed his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Delhi. Dr. Shekhar has been working on biopolymers and Schiff base metal complexes for the last 5 years and has published articles in reputed international journals.
Affiliations and expertise
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, Delhi, IndiaRead Biodegradability of Conventional Plastics on ScienceDirect