生物降解
生物可分解塑胶
可生物降解聚合物
降级(电信)
塑料污染
微生物降解
生态系统
环境化学
碳纤维
环境科学
微生物种群生物学
污染
生化工程
微塑料
聚合物
化学
材料科学
细菌
微生物
生态学
生物
有机化学
复合材料
工程类
复合数
电信
遗传学
计算机科学
作者
Winnie Courtene‐Jones,Ana Martínez Rodríguez,Richard D. Handy
出处
期刊:Emerging topics in life sciences
[Portland Press]
日期:2022-09-07
卷期号:6 (4): 423-433
被引量:6
摘要
Biodegradable plastics have been proposed as a potential solution to plastic pollution, as they can be biodegraded into their elemental components by microbial action. However, the degradation rate of biodegradable plastics is highly variable across environments, leading to the potential for accumulation of plastic particles, chemical co-contaminants and/or degradation products. This paper reviews the toxicological effects of biodegradable plastics on species and ecosystems, and contextualises these impacts with those previously reported for conventional polymers. While the impacts of biodegradable plastics and their co-contaminants across levels of biological organisation are poorly researched compared with conventional plastics, evidence suggests that individual-level effects could be broadly similar. Where differences in the associated toxicity may arise is due to the chemical structure of biodegradable polymers which should facilitate enzymatic depolymerisation and the utilisation of the polymer carbon by the microbial community. The input of carbon can alter microbial composition, causing an enrichment of carbon-degrading bacteria and fungi, which can have wider implications for carbon and nitrogen dynamics. Furthermore, there is the potential for toxic degradation products to form during biodegradation, however understanding the environmental concentration and effects of degradation products are lacking. As global production of biodegradable polymers continues to increase, further evaluation of their ecotoxicological effects on organisms and ecosystem function are required.
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