Abstract :
[en] Different plastic types considered as compostable are found on the market such as petro-based (e.g., polybutylene
adipate terephthalate (PBAT)) or bio-based plastics (e.g., polylactic acid, (PLA)). Even if their degradation has
been confirmed in industrial compost conditions, investigation of their degradation in natural marine environment
has been limited. To better understand biodegradation into natural marine environment, commercial
compostable (PBAT, semi-crystalline and amorphous PLA) and non-compostable polymers (low density polyethylene,
polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride) were submerged in situ on the sediment
and in the water column in the Mediterranean Sea. These samples were studied by chemical and microbiological
approaches. After 82 days of immersion, no significant bacterial degradation of the different polymers was
observed, except some abiotic alterations of PBAT and LDPE probably due to a photooxidation process. However,
after 80 days in an enrichment culture containing plastic films as a main carbon source, Marinomonas genus was
specifically selected on the PBAT and a weight loss of 12% was highlighted. A better understanding of the
bacterial community colonizing these plastics is essential for an eco-design of new biodegradable polymers to
allow a rapid degradation in aquatic environment.
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