Publications by authors named "Taylor Frederick Nelson"
We report a novel polyester material generated from readily available biobased 1,18-octadecanedicarboxylic acid and ethylene glycol possesses a polyethylene-like solid-state structure and also tensile properties similar to high density polyethylene (HDPE). Despite its crystallinity, high melting point (T =96 °C) and hydrophobic nature, polyester-2,18 is subject to rapid and complete hydrolytic degradation in in vitro assays with isolated naturally occurring enzymes. Under industrial composting conditions (ISO standard 14855-1) the material is biodegraded with mineralization above 95 % within two months.
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- Plastic materials are essential in agriculture for ensuring food security, but switching from nonbiodegradable to biodegradable polymers, like PBAT, can help reduce environmental plastic waste.
- The research introduced a new method to trace carbon movement from biodegradable polymers into carbon dioxide (CO) and microbial biomass using C-labeled polymers and advanced analysis techniques such as NanoSIMS.
- Findings confirmed that PBAT biodegrades in soil, with soil microorganisms utilizing its carbon for energy and biomass production, enhancing our understanding of polymer biodegradation in various environments.