Click
here to close Hello! We notice that
you are using Internet Explorer, which is not supported by Echinobase
and may cause the site to display incorrectly. We suggest using a
current version of Chrome,
FireFox,
or Safari.
Polymers (Basel)
2021 Oct 29;1321:. doi: 10.3390/polym13213742.
Show Gene links
Show Anatomy links
Assessment of Toxicity and Biodegradability of Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Based Materials in Marine Water.
Alonso-López O
,
López-Ibáñez S
,
Beiras R
.
???displayArticle.abstract???
Due to the continuous rise in conventional plastic production and the deficient management of plastic waste, industry is developing alternative plastic products made of biodegradable or biobased polymers. The challenge nowadays is to create a new product that combines the advantages of conventional plastics with environmentally friendly properties. This study focuses on the assessment of the potential impact that polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based polymers may have once they are released into the marine environment, in terms of biodegradation in seawater (assessed by the percentage of the Theoretical Oxygen Demand, or % ThOD, of each compound) and aquatic toxicity, according to the standard toxicity test using Paracentrotus lividus larvae. We have tested three different materials: two glycerol-containing PVA based ones, and another made from pure PVA. Biodegradation of PVA under marine conditions without an acclimated inoculum seems to be negligible, and it slightly improves when the polymer is combined with glycerol, with a 5.3 and 8.4% ThOD achieved after a period of 28 days. Toxicity of pure PVA was also negligible (<1 toxic units, TU), but slightly increases when the material included glycerol (2.2 and 2.3 TU). These results may contribute to a better assessment of the behavior of PVA-based polymers in marine environments. Given the low biodegradation rates obtained for the tested compounds, PVA polymers still require further study in order to develop materials that are truly degradable in real marine scenarios.
10.13039/501100011033 - Spanish Agency of Research (AEI in Spanish), 101003954 H2020-EU, PCI2020-112110 / AEI / 10.13039/501100011033 JPI Oceans-Spanish National Research funding Agency, FPU19/02280 Ministry of Universities of Spain
Figure 1. Biodegradation expressed by %ThOD for the different materials and the positive control (C+ PHB). Discontinuous line: 60% biodegradability threshold.
Figure 2. Paracentrotus lividus larvae size increase ratio compared to control treatment (ΔLc) for the different sample dilutions. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.
Accinelli,
Deterioration of bioplastic carrier bags in the environment and assessment of a new recycling alternative.
2012, Pubmed
Accinelli,
Deterioration of bioplastic carrier bags in the environment and assessment of a new recycling alternative.
2012,
Pubmed
Andrady,
Microplastics in the marine environment.
2011,
Pubmed
Arfsten,
Assessment of the aquatic and terrestrial toxicity of five biodegradable polymers.
2004,
Pubmed
Bagheri,
Fate of So-Called Biodegradable Polymers in Seawater and Freshwater.
2017,
Pubmed
Barboza,
Marine microplastic debris: An emerging issue for food security, food safety and human health.
2018,
Pubmed
Beiras,
Currently monitored microplastics pose negligible ecological risk to the global ocean.
2020,
Pubmed
Beiras,
Linking chemical contamination to biological effects in coastal pollution monitoring.
2012,
Pubmed
Beiras,
Aquatic toxicity of chemically defined microplastics can be explained by functional additives.
2021,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Beiras,
A 2-Tier standard method to test the toxicity of microplastics in marine water using Paracentrotus lividus and Acartia clausi larvae.
2019,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Burns,
Microplastics in the aquatic environment: Evidence for or against adverse impacts and major knowledge gaps.
2018,
Pubmed
Cole,
The impact of polystyrene microplastics on feeding, function and fecundity in the marine copepod Calanus helgolandicus.
2015,
Pubmed
Cormier,
Chemicals sorbed to environmental microplastics are toxic to early life stages of aquatic organisms.
2021,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
DeMerlis,
Review of the oral toxicity of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).
2003,
Pubmed
Harrison,
Biodegradability standards for carrier bags and plastic films in aquatic environments: a critical review.
2018,
Pubmed
Hidalgo-Ruz,
Microplastics in the marine environment: a review of the methods used for identification and quantification.
2012,
Pubmed
Kanatt,
Development of active, water-resistant carboxymethyl cellulose-poly vinyl alcohol-Aloe vera packaging film.
2020,
Pubmed
Lambert,
Environmental performance of bio-based and biodegradable plastics: the road ahead.
2017,
Pubmed
Lorenzo,
Effect of humic acids on speciation and toxicity of copper to Paracentrotus lividus larvae in seawater.
2002,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Napper,
Plastic Debris in the Marine Environment: History and Future Challenges.
2020,
Pubmed
Porter,
Long-term biodegradability of textile chemicals.
1976,
Pubmed
REDFIELD,
The biological control of chemical factors in the environment.
1960,
Pubmed
Reuschenbach,
A critical comparison of respirometric biodegradation tests based on OECD 301 and related test methods.
2003,
Pubmed
Rujnić Havstad,
Influence of Home Composting on Tensile Properties of Commercial Biodegradable Plastic Films.
2021,
Pubmed
Saco-Alvarez,
Methodological basis for the optimization of a marine sea-urchin embryo test (SET) for the ecological assessment of coastal water quality.
2010,
Pubmed
,
Echinobase
Tanaka,
Microplastic fragments and microbeads in digestive tracts of planktivorous fish from urban coastal waters.
2016,
Pubmed
Tarique,
Effect of glycerol plasticizer loading on the physical, mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) starch biopolymers.
2021,
Pubmed
Tosin,
Laboratory test methods to determine the degradation of plastics in marine environmental conditions.
2012,
Pubmed
Wei,
Microplastics generated from a biodegradable plastic in freshwater and seawater.
2021,
Pubmed
Wu,
Biodegradation of polyvinyl alcohol by different dominant degrading bacterial strains in a baffled anaerobic bioreactor.
2019,
Pubmed
Yamatsu,
Isolation and characterization of a novel poly(vinyl alcohol)-degrading bacterium, Sphingopyxis sp. PVA3.
2006,
Pubmed
