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. 2022 Mar 17;14(6):1216.
doi: 10.3390/polym14061216.

Accelerated Degradation of Poly(lactide acid)/Poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PLA/PHB) Yarns/Fabrics by UV and O2 Exposure in South China Seawater

Qi Bao  1 , Wingho Wong  1 , Shirui Liu  1 , Xiaoming Tao  1
Affiliations

Accelerated Degradation of Poly(lactide acid)/Poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PLA/PHB) Yarns/Fabrics by UV and O2 Exposure in South China Seawater

Qi Bao et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Marine plastic pollution is emerging as a potential hazard to global ecosystems and human health. Micro-fibers derived from synthetic textiles contribute a considerable proportion of plastic debris. Bio-polymers/bio-plastics have been proposed for the application of apparel products, yet their degradability, fate, durability and related environmental parameters are still elusive and need further exploration. Herein, we report the degradation behavior of poly(lactide acid)/poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PLA/PHB) fabrics, made from PLA/PHB multi-filament yarns, in subtropics marine seawater. The degradation experiments were performed under various parallel conditions including static seawater, aerobic seawater in dark box, aerobic seawater under sunlight, static seawater under ultra-violet light and aerobic seawater under ultra-violet light. Continuous mass loss of PLA/PHB fabrics as the immersion time in the seawater increased was confirmed. The hydrolysis rate of PLA/PHB fabrics accelerated in the presence of UV light and dissolved oxygen in the seawater. Moreover, the tensile strength of the PLA/PHB yarns dropped rapidly by 38.54-68.70% in spite of the mass loss percentage being from 9.57% to 14.48% after 2 weeks' immersion. All the PLA/PHB fabrics after two weeks' immersion exhibited similar ATR-IR spectra. Therefore, the degradability of PLA/PHB fabrics, in the marine surface water under the synergistic destructive effect of seawater, UV and dissolved oxygen, provides a pathway for more sustainable textile fibers and apparel products.

Keywords: PLA/PHB; UV photooxidation; hydrolysis; marine degradation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A geographical map showing the seawater sampling site along the coastline and its location.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Digital microscopic photograms of (A) original PLA/PHB knitted fabric, (B) one PLA/PHB fiber from multifilament yarns and (C) multi-filament yarns used in fabrics.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Degradation rate and mass loss as a function of immersion time with various immersion methods.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Visual images of multi-filament PLA/PHB fabrics before (0 days) and after 7 days, 14 days and 28 days degradation and immersion time under different conditions. Each sample was dried at 60 °C in vacuum for 48 h.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Evolution of tensile behavior of multi-filament PLA/PHB yarns (A) before (blank) and after 7 days immersed in natural seawater under different conditions; (B) after 14 days immersed in natural seawater under various conditions.
Figure 6
Figure 6
DSC thermograms of PLA/PHB fabrics at a heating rate of 20 °C/min before and after different conditions.
Figure 7
Figure 7
FTIR-ATR spectra of PLA/PHB textiles before and after 14 days immersion in natural seawater under both UV light radiation and air gas bubbling condition.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Digital microscopic images of (A) PLA/PHB woven fabrics, (B) multi-filament yarns used in fabrics after 21 days immersion in seawater under UV + Air condition.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Degradation mechanism of PLA/PHB fabrics after immersion in natural seawater.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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