Influence of Biodegradable Component Nature on Biodegradation of Composites Based on Polyethylene

Abstract

The combination of natural additives with synthetic polymers allows the development of environmentally friendly materials with increased biodegradability. In this article, we investigated composite films based on low density polyethylene (PE) with different content (10-30 wt %) of natural rubber (NR). A mycological test with fungi and a full-scale soil test revealed that the composite with 30 wt% NR was the most biodegradable (weight loss was 7.2 wt % over 90 days). In the experiment on biodegradation in soil, the most intensive development of filamentous fungi was recorded in field tests. However, the rate of weight loss by samples of PLA-LDPE compositions when exposed in natural conditions is significantly lower than the rate of weight loss in laboratory tests. Thus, the present study was carried out to analyse the effect of various additives of biodegradable polymers on biodegradation in soil.