The ethyl ether and the n-hexane extracts of LDPE film which has been buried under soil for 32 to 37 years were analyzed by FT-IR measurements and compared with the analytical results of the extracted film. After extraction, the part of the film which was directly in contact with soil showed -C=C- and -OH IR bands. These bands are characteristic of biodegraded PE. On the other hand, a strong -C=O band appeared in the IR spectra of the extracts. The difference in the IR spectra between the extracted film and the extract was more evident for the ether extract than for the n-hexane extract.
The result seems to be in contrast with the generally accepted opinion that the high molecular weight PE does not biodegrade. From IR data we can say that the high molecular weight LDPE is able to biodegrade, while the low molecular weight component of LDPE only undergoes usual oxidative degradation. Thus, the biodegradation of LDPE proceeds not only
via exogeneous mechanism but also
via endogeneous mechanism along the active oxidation sites on the main chain.
As for the part of the film which was not directly in contact with soil, we could not find any evidence for the biodegradation. The IR spectra of the extracted film as well as the extracts showed only IR bonds being characteristic of usual oxidative degradation. The part of the film which was in contact with soil was whitened by the formation of a number of small pores. Careful SEM obserbation of the pores revealed that the pores enlarged by solvent extraction. This is the direct evidence of the formation of low molecular weight PE by endogeneous biodegradation of LDPE.
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