Abstract
The degradation tests of typical biodegradable polymers were carried out in a personal garbage disposal machine. The degradation rate judged by a tensile strength was as follows, PLA>PCL=PBSA, where PLA is poly (L-lactic acid), PCL is Poly (ε-caprolactone) and PBSA is poly (butylenesuccinate adipate). The tensile strength of PLA fell down to zero in 10 days. For PCL and PBSA, however, the strength did not reach zero for over 40 days. The degradation rates were very slow compared with that of organic garbage in the disposal machine. The degradation rates of the biodegradable polymers were also affected by the composition of organic garbage. The degradation rate was highest in a mixture of animal and plant (50: 50) garbage. The garbage produced NH3, which enhanced the hydrolysis of the biodegradable polymers.
