DATE/TIME: Friday, October 23, 2026, 2:30 pm PLACE: ENR building, room 223 or this Remote Live option.
Suchana Shamsunnahar
University of South Carolina
Environmental Fate of Biodegradable Plastics Used in Agriculture
Biodegradable polymers are increasingly used as alternatives to conventional plastics, particularly where post-use recovery is difficult. However, before complete mineralization, they can leave weathered residues that persist and undergo further physical and chemical transformation. Compared with conventional plastics, much less is known about how these residues transform and interact in the environment. In this seminar, I will examine these questions using biodegradable agricultural mulch films as a model system, with conventional polymers for comparison. Field studies show that substantial biodegradable plastic residues can remain in soil and that these materials can release higher amounts of metals and organic additives than conventional polymers. I will then examine how natural weathering promotes the release of microplastics and nanoplastics, potential oligomer formation, and changes in the dissolved chemical space over time. Quantification of reactive oxygen species and monomers provides insight into likely depolymerization processes. Weathering can also alter polymer surface chemistry and interactions with co-contaminants. I will illustrate this using sorption of selected perfluoroalkyl acids to pristine and field-weathered polymers and examine how dissolved organic matter in soil leachate modulates these interactions. These findings highlight the importance of considering the weathered state of biodegradable plastics when assessing their environmental fate and sustainability.
Seminar Host:
Elodie Passeport
Department of Environmental Sciences, SEBS, Rutgers University