DegradationOf Bio

Polymers• Presented By- Rahul Dev

What is Biopolymers? IntroductionBiopolymers are polymers prod

uced by living organisms.They are

polymeric biomolecules.

DEGRADATION• Degradation is a process by which

the polymer is fragmented by means of small molecules.

• In this the large polymer divided into smaller molecules.When degradation starts there is shown a change in colour.

Cont…

• Generally polymer degrades by following process

• Thermal Degradation• Photo Degradation• Mechanical Degradation• Chemical Degradation• Oxidative Degradation

Bio Degradation• Bio Degradation is a natural process

by which organic chemicals in the enviornment are converted into simpler componds.

Cont...• All Bio Polymers are not bio

Degradable• Due to the presence of Hydroxil

group most of the bio polymer are hydrophilic in nature after absorbing water they degrade easily.

Mechanism Of Bio Dergadation

• The most important organism to biodegradation are fungi,bacteria and algae.

• Natural polymers are degraded in biological systems by the oxidation and hydrolysis.

• Temp. is one of the most important factors affecting micro-organism growth.

Mechanism Of Bio Dergadation

Fungi active in biogeradation process.E.g. sporotricum Talaromyces ganodermeEtc.

Types of Bio Degradation• Aerobic Biodegradation• Polymers+O2CO2+H2O+biomass+residu

cess

• If oxygen is present aerobic biodegration occurred and carbon dioxide is produced.

Types of Bio Degradation• Anaerobic Biodegradation• PolymerCO2+CH4+H2O+biomass+r

esiducess• If there is no oxygen an anaerobic

degradation occurs and methane is produced with CO2

Degradation Mechanism Via Hydolysis

• Polyesters, polyanhydrides, polycarbonates and polyamides are mainly degraded by hydrolysis into low-molecular-weight oligomers.

Examples• Degradation Of Starch-• Starch is a polymer which occurs widely in plants. The

principal crops used for its production include potatoes, corn and rice.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of Starch

Examples

• Degradation Of Cellulose• Most of the cellulolytic

microorganisms belong to eubacteria and fungi, even though some anaerobic protozoa and slime molds able to degrade cellulose have also been described. Cellulolytic microorganisms can establish synergistic relationships with non-cellulolytic species in cellulosic wastes.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of Cellulose

Poly (caprolactone)• Degradation mechanism is started by the

hydrolysis of the polymer chain 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid an intermediate of w-oxidation than β-oxidation to acetyl-CoA (Acetyl coenzyme A), which can then undergo further degradation in TCA ( tricarboxylic acid) cycle as illustrated.

• The molecular weight readily decreases during bio degradation, and is accompanied by a broadening of the molecular weight distribution.

• The cystallinity of PCL increases with the degradation, indicating preferential degradation in amorphus regions.

PCL Degradation Mechanism

Poly (lactic acid)

• Non-enzymatic Hydrolysis• Readily degraded in compost.• Several enzymes can degrade the

polymer which include proteinase K, pronase and bromelain.

• Actinomycete, a PLA degrading strain, reduced 100 mg of PLA film by 60% in the first 14 days in liquid culture at 303 K.

Degradation Of Biopolyesters• Component monomers are bonded via

ester linkages.• Many kinds of esters occur in nature and

the esterase enzyme.• Ester linkages are generally easy to

hydrolyze.• Ester on hydrolysis gives acid and alcohol.• Biopolyester upon hydrolysis divided into

small fragments.Hence a number of synthetic polyesters are biodegradable

Advantages Of Biopolymer

• 1-Takes less time to break down .• 2-Renewable .• 3-Good for enviromental.• 4- Easior to recycle .• 5-Less energy to produce.

References• Biodegradable polymers for industrial

application By Ray Smith.• Biodegradation of polymers By Premraj

and Mukesh Doble

•Thank You