DSC and FTIR characterization of biodegradation of polyethylene

Abstract

Abstract Aspergillus niger , a fungus, was used in the degradation of commercially available thermoplastic polyethylene films. Quantitative calorimetric measurements performed on as‐received, abiotic, and biotic treated polyethylene samples, revealed that the amorphocity of the sample decreases during biodegradation. In addition, it was found that the external substrates (sucrose) in the growth medium influenced the biodegradation process of polyethylene. Furthermore, the crystallinity data on different biotreated samples indicated that the adapted microorganisms were able to metabolize a small portion of polyethylene. The significance of the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results of polyethylene samples have been discussed.