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After decades of intensive use, polymer wastes are omnipresent and disturb natural environments such as oceans. Thus, sustainable materials must be developed, combining not only the use properties, but also their recycling or end of life in natural environments. This chapter focuses on the study of the parameters that influence the biodegradation of reactive polymer-based materials, either in the perspective of recycling or for the end of life in natural environments, including compostability. In fact, the hydrolysable bonds of reactive polymers, such as polyesters make them prone to hydrolysis that can be catalyzed enzymatically, either by enzymes naturally present in the environment or by other selected ones used in chemical reactors. Of course, the formulation of materials can also influence the degradation at end of life. In this sense, the controlled end of life in natural environment must correspond to several advantages, such as increasing soil fertility and lower volumes of discarded plastic materials, while enzyme catalyzed hydrolysis in chemical reactors allows recover chemical building blocks such as monomers and oligomers. Finally, a critical analysis of the parameters influencing the degradation of reactive polymer-based materials will allow to give recommendations for their eco-design. |
