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Bioplastics 2016
November 10-11, 2016
Volume 7 Issue 6(Suppl) J Bioremediat Biodegrad
ISSN: 2155-6199 JBRBD, an open access journal
conferenceseries .com
November 10-11, 2016 Alicante, Spain
International Conference onSustainable Bioplastics
Asma Alhosni, J Bioremediat Biodegrad 2016, 7:6(Suppl)
MDBP- microbial degradation of bio-polymers
Asma Alhosni
The University of Manchester, UK
Over the last six decades, the use of plastic materials has had a major impact on our daily lives and has become essential
for modern societies due to their extensive and diverse range of applications. However, the recalcitrant nature of many
plastics means that they are problematic in terms of disposal and are a major industrial waste product and environmental
pollutant. The use of biodegradable polymers can aid in resolving a number of waste management issues as they are degraded
ultimately to CO2 and water and can be directed to conventional industrial composting systems. Four different biodegradable
polymers, namely polycaprolactone, polyhydroxybutyrate, polylactic acid and poly(1,4 butylene) succinate were used to study
the time required for biodegradation to occur in soil and compost under laboratory conditions. Degradation of polymer
discs was measured by monitoring changes in disc weight, thickness and diameter over a period of more than ten months at
three different temperatures: 25º C, 37º C and 50 º C. Degradation rates varied widely between the polymers and the incubation
temperatures. Polycaprolactone showed the fastest degradation rate under all conditions and found to be completely degraded
when buried in compost and incubated at 50ºC after 91 days. Fungi from the surface of the polymers discs following colonization
were isolated and identified by ITS rDNA sequencing.
Biography
Asma Alhosni is a PhD student at the University of Manchester. She has completed her MSc from Nottingham University in UK. Currently, she is working as a
Lecturer at the Higher College of Technology in the Sultanate of Oman.