Biodegradable polymers and environmental interaction

Abstract Biodegradable polymers are by definition those that degrade as a result of the action of microorganisms and/or enzymes. The rate of this biodegradation may vary from hours to years depending on the molecular architecture of the polymer in question. Biopolymers like lignin take years to degrade while many proteins and polysaccharides degrade within hours to days. The same is true for the synthetic biodegradable polymers where polyethylene is sometimes regarded as inert to biodegradation while polyanhydrides are rapidly biodegradable. The influence of structure, morphology, and surface area on the biodegradability are discussed, with polyesters and degradable polyethylene (with pro‐oxidant and/or biodegradable additives) as examples. The rate of biodegradation is controllable by choosing the appropriate molecular architecture. In addition to this the environmental interaction of these polymers should be determined. The degradation product pattern of biodegradable polymers should be compatible with the natural degradation mechanisms (i.e., catabolisms).