Long-term immersion of compostable plastics in marine aquarium: Microbial biofilm evolution and polymer degradation

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

  • Alice Delacuvellerie
  • Axelle Brusselman
  • Valentine Cyriaque
  • Samira Benali
  • Sébastien Moins
  • Jean Marie Raquez
  • Sylvie Gobert
  • Ruddy Wattiez
The best-selling compostable plastics, polylactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT), can accidentally end up in the marine environment due to plastic waste mismanagement. Their degradation and colonization by microbial communities are poorly documented in marine conditions. To better understand their degradation, as well as the dynamics of bacterial colonization after a long immersion time (99, 160, and 260 days), PBAT, semicrystalline, and amorphous PLA films were immersed in a marine aquarium. Sequencing and chemical analyses were used in parallel to characterize these samples. Despite the variation in the chemical intrinsic parameters of these plastics, their degradation remains very slow. Microbial community structure varied according to the immersion time with a high proportion of Archaea. Moreover, the plastisphere structure of PBAT was specific. A better understanding of compostable plastic degradability is crucial to evaluate their impact on ecosystems and to eco-design new recyclable plastics with optimal degradation properties.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer114711
TidsskriftMarine Pollution Bulletin
Vol/bind189
Antal sider10
ISSN0025-326X
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2023

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
This study was funded by the Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS) FC 23347 . We thank the Aquarium-Museum of Liège and particularly Marie Bournonville and her colleagues. Samira Benali acknowledges support from the - European Regional Development Fund (ERDF-FEDER) for general support in the frame of LCFM-BIOMAT. Jean-Marie Raquez is an F.R.S.-FNRS Research Associate, and Valentine Cyriaque is a F.R.S.-FNRS scientific collaborator.

Funding Information:
This study was funded by the Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS) FC 23347. We thank the Aquarium-Museum of Liège and particularly Marie Bournonville and her colleagues. Samira Benali acknowledges support from the - European Regional Development Fund (ERDF-FEDER) for general support in the frame of LCFM-BIOMAT. Jean-Marie Raquez is an F.R.S.-FNRS Research Associate, and Valentine Cyriaque is a F.R.S.-FNRS scientific collaborator.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd

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