Study of the Degradation of Poly(ethyl glyoxylate): Biodegradation, Toxicity and Ecotoxicity Assays

Benjamine Belloncle (1) , Claude Bunel (1) , Laurence Menu-Bouaouiche (2) , Olivier Lesouhaitier (3) , Fabrice Burel (1)

1 PBS - Polymères Biopolymères Surfaces
2 Glyco-MEV - Laboratoire de Glycobiologie et Matrice Extracellulaire Végétale
3 LMDF-SME - Laboratoire de Microbiologie du Froid – Signaux et Micro-Environnement

Biodegradation of poly (ethyl glyoxylate) (PEtG), a functionalized polyacetal, was investigated over 6 month according to ASTM 5988-96 modified method and compared to micronized cellulose. More than 95 % of the polymer was converted into CO2 over that period attesting the biodegradability of PEtG. The degradation by-products toxicity and ecotoxicity were evaluated. Toxicity was checked using an innovant non-mammalian toxicological model using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Ecotoxicity was performed using a plant growth test with cress (Lepidium Sativum), and barley (Hordeum vulgare). In all cases, results concluded on the harmlessness of PEtG and relative by-products.

Mots clés: Polyacetal; Biodegradation; Toxicity; Ecotoxicity

Domaines: Polymères; Amélioration des plantes; Génomique, Transcriptomique et Protéomique [q-bio.GN]; Réseaux moléculaires [q-bio.MN]; Phytopathologie et phytopharmacie; Biotechnologies; Gamétogenèse; Organisation et fonctions cellulaires [q-bio.SC]; Interactions cellulaires [q-bio.CB]; Biochimie [q-bio.BM]; Biologie moléculaire

Benjamine Belloncle, Claude Bunel, Laurence Menu-Bouaouiche, Olivier Lesouhaitier, Fabrice Burel. Study of the Degradation of Poly(ethyl glyoxylate): Biodegradation, Toxicity and Ecotoxicity Assays. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 2012, 20 (3), pp.726 - 731. ⟨10.1007/s10924-012-0429-2⟩. ⟨hal-01848259⟩