Hydrothermal fenton oxidation for sustainable degradation of bioplastics, PLA, PBAT, PHA, and PBS

The global production of bioplastics (BPs) continues to rise owing to their perceived environmental advantages; however, their end-of-life management pathway remains uncertain. The present study investigated the combination of hydrothermal conditions with the Fenton reaction (hydrothermal Fenton reaction - HFR), reinforcing the effective oxidation of BPs such as Polylactic acid (PLA), Polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT), Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), and Polybutylene succinate (PBS). There was observed to be the weight loss of 85.37%, 80.19%, 93.54% and 89.09%, respectively. Quenching study suggests that hydroxyl radical (•OH) mediated oxidation and ester bond hydrolysis under hydrothermal conditions act synergistically to drive the degradation of BPs. SEM morphologies confirm that the polymer surfaces have deteriorated significantly. The DSC results confirm that HFR promotes chain scission followed by secondary crystallization, yielding a material with reduced melting stability but enhanced crystallization behavior. Hence, HFR will stipulate a background for further exploration to resolve the plastic pollution in the ecosystem, and ultimately it will address the United Nations Sustainability Goals (SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production and SDG 14 - Life Below Water).