Biodegradable Polymeric Materials-Not the Origin but the Chemical Structure Determines Biodegradability

Uwe Witt; Motonori Yamamoto; Ursula Seeliger; Rolf-Joachim Müller; Volker Warzelhan

doi:10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19990517)38:10<1438::AID-ANIE1438>3.0.CO;2-U

Biodegradable Polymeric Materials-Not the Origin but the Chemical Structure Determines Biodegradability

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 1999 May 17;38(10):1438-1442. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1521-3773(19990517)38:10<1438::AID-ANIE1438>3.0.CO;2-U.

Authors

Uwe Witt¹, Motonori Yamamoto¹, Ursula Seeliger², Rolf-Joachim Müller³, Volker Warzelhan¹

Affiliations

¹ ZKT Kuntstofflaboratorium, BASF Aktiengesellschaft, D-67056, Ludwigshafen (Germany), Fax: (+49) 621-60-41766.
² KSS/BP Project Ecoflex, BASF Aktiengesellschaft, Ludwigshafen.
³ BVT/UVT Umweltverfahrenstechnik, Gesellschaft für Biotechnologische Forschung mbH, D-38124 Braunschweig (Germany).

Abstract

It is completely plausible that unmodified materials of natural origin, such as the native macromolecules cellulose or starch, are biodegradable. If these materials are modified then degradation may, depending on the degree of modification, be more difficult or even impossible. In the same manner synthesized macromolecules, whether from renewable or petrochemical sources, could be inert or completey biodegradable, depending on their chemical structure.

Keywords: Biodegradability; Composting; Copolyester; Metabolism; Polymers.