Performance of a modified screening method for polymer biodegradability testing
Abstract Because the implementation of the Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055, the degradability of products containing microplastic has to be determined before their application in the environment. Therefore, it is important to focus product development towards obtaining biodegradable products wh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Environmental Sciences Europe |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-025-01126-5 |
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| _version_ | 1849725508432953344 |
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| author | Julia Peters Nikolina Avramidou Dieter Hennecke Markus Simon Andreas Schäffer Annika Jahnke Michael Hüben |
| author_facet | Julia Peters Nikolina Avramidou Dieter Hennecke Markus Simon Andreas Schäffer Annika Jahnke Michael Hüben |
| author_sort | Julia Peters |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Because the implementation of the Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055, the degradability of products containing microplastic has to be determined before their application in the environment. Therefore, it is important to focus product development towards obtaining biodegradable products which requires appropriate test methods. We developed a modified screening method to facilitate quick biodegradability assessment of polymers and polymeric products. The method is based on the OECD technical guideline (TG) 301. Water-soluble polymers (sodium alginate, gum arabic, carboxymethyl cellulose) were directly tested whereas water-insoluble polymers (Indian psyllium husks) were filtered beforehand and the filter was analysed. Sewage sludge was used to provide a microbial community for the aerobic degradation process. The test system volumes were reduced (50 instead of 800 or 162 mL) and the duration was shortened (10 instead of 28 days incubation time). The modified screening method uses the total organic carbon recovery as an assessment endpoint instead of carbon dioxide (CO2) evolution or oxygen consumption. The performance of the new screening method was comparable to that of OECD TG 301B (standardised test for mineralisation in sewage sludge) for all four polymers when extrapolated to the TG 301 duration, whereas those for TG 301F were lower. For product development the developed modified screening method is a useful alternative due to a shorter incubation time, a simplified set-up and enabling a higher sample throughput. Graphical Abstract |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e42b3c74a52c46488eb41d8d655d36e9 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2190-4715 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Sciences Europe |
| spelling | doaj-art-e42b3c74a52c46488eb41d8d655d36e92025-08-20T03:10:27ZengSpringerOpenEnvironmental Sciences Europe2190-47152025-06-0137111110.1186/s12302-025-01126-5Performance of a modified screening method for polymer biodegradability testingJulia Peters0Nikolina Avramidou1Dieter Hennecke2Markus Simon3Andreas Schäffer4Annika Jahnke5Michael Hüben6Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied EcologyFraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied EcologyFraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied EcologyFraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied EcologyInstitute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen UniversityInstitute for Environmental Research, RWTH Aachen UniversityFraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied EcologyAbstract Because the implementation of the Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055, the degradability of products containing microplastic has to be determined before their application in the environment. Therefore, it is important to focus product development towards obtaining biodegradable products which requires appropriate test methods. We developed a modified screening method to facilitate quick biodegradability assessment of polymers and polymeric products. The method is based on the OECD technical guideline (TG) 301. Water-soluble polymers (sodium alginate, gum arabic, carboxymethyl cellulose) were directly tested whereas water-insoluble polymers (Indian psyllium husks) were filtered beforehand and the filter was analysed. Sewage sludge was used to provide a microbial community for the aerobic degradation process. The test system volumes were reduced (50 instead of 800 or 162 mL) and the duration was shortened (10 instead of 28 days incubation time). The modified screening method uses the total organic carbon recovery as an assessment endpoint instead of carbon dioxide (CO2) evolution or oxygen consumption. The performance of the new screening method was comparable to that of OECD TG 301B (standardised test for mineralisation in sewage sludge) for all four polymers when extrapolated to the TG 301 duration, whereas those for TG 301F were lower. For product development the developed modified screening method is a useful alternative due to a shorter incubation time, a simplified set-up and enabling a higher sample throughput. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-025-01126-5OECD TG 301Modified screeningSewage sludgeDegradationMineralisationBiodegradability |
| spellingShingle | Julia Peters Nikolina Avramidou Dieter Hennecke Markus Simon Andreas Schäffer Annika Jahnke Michael Hüben Performance of a modified screening method for polymer biodegradability testing Environmental Sciences Europe OECD TG 301 Modified screening Sewage sludge Degradation Mineralisation Biodegradability |
| title | Performance of a modified screening method for polymer biodegradability testing |
| title_full | Performance of a modified screening method for polymer biodegradability testing |
| title_fullStr | Performance of a modified screening method for polymer biodegradability testing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Performance of a modified screening method for polymer biodegradability testing |
| title_short | Performance of a modified screening method for polymer biodegradability testing |
| title_sort | performance of a modified screening method for polymer biodegradability testing |
| topic | OECD TG 301 Modified screening Sewage sludge Degradation Mineralisation Biodegradability |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-025-01126-5 |
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