Article on the assessment of toxicity and biodegradability of PVA-based materials in the marine environment

Due to the continuous rise in conventional plastic production and the deficient management of plastic waste, the industry is developing alternative plastic products made of biodegradable or biobased polymers. The challenge nowadays is to create a new product that combines the advantages of conventional plastics with environmentally friendly properties.

The Ecotox team has recently conducted a study that focuses on the assessment of the potential impact that polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based polymers may have once they are released into the marine environment, in terms of biodegradation in seawater (assessed by the percentage of the Theoretical Oxygen Demand, or % ThOD, of each compound) and aquatic toxicity, according to the standard toxicity test using Paracentrotus lividus larvae. Three different materials have been tested: two glycerol-containing PVA based ones, and a third one made from pure PVA. Results from this study show that biodegradation of PVA under marine conditions without an acclimated inoculum seems to be negligible, and it slightly improves when the polymer is combined with glycerol, with a 5.3 and 8.4% ThOD achieved after a period of 28 days. Toxicity of pure PVA was also found to be negligible (<1 toxic unit, TU), but this slightly increased when the material included glycerol (2.2 and 2.3 TU).

These results may contribute to a better assessment of the behaviour of PVA-based polymers in marine environments. Given the low biodegradation rates obtained for the tested compounds, PVA polymers still require further study in order to develop materials that are truly degradable in real marine scenarios.

The article has been published in Polymers as part of the Special Issue Water-Soluble and Insoluble Polymers and Biopolymers for Biomedical, Environmental, and Biological Applications and is available online:

Abstract: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/13/21/3742
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