Question

What are biodegradable polymers? Give examples.

Answer 1

A polymer that can be decomposed by bacteria is called a biodegradable polymer.

The biodegradable polymer are the polymers which are degraded by the micro-organism within a suitable period so that biodegradable polymers & their degraded products do not cause any serious affects on the environment. They degrade by enzymatic hydrolysis & oxidation.The decomposition reactions involves hydrolysis(either enzymatically induced or by non –enzymatic mechanism ) to non- toxic small molecules which can be metabolized by or excreted from the body.

 

The common examples of aliphatic biodegradable polymers are polyglycolic acid(PGA), Polyhydroxy butyrate (PHB), Polyhydroxy butyrates-co-beta hydroxyl valerate( PHBV), Polycaprolactone(pcl), Nylon-2-nylon-6.



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