Blend films of polycaprolactone (PCL) and polypropylene (PP) have been obtained by melt-pressing of both components. The biodegradation of PP/PCL blend films in soil and soil with leachate landfill has been assessed with measurements of evolution of CO2, weight loss, contact angle, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The respirometric tests showed that the PP/PCL biodegradation in the soil with leachate was higher than the homopolymers, suggesting that the polymers in the blend are more susceptible to biodegradation owing to the lack of interaction between PP and PCL. The results also showed that biodegradation due to microorganisms in the soil with leachate occurred by surface erosion. It was found that the PCL biodegradation is inhibited by the leachate microorganisms added in the soil.
Synthetic polymers; biodegradable polymers; soil; polypropylene; poly(caprolactone)
