Biodegradability, commercial

It is evident that the area of water-soluble polymer covets a multitude of appHcations and encompasses a broad spectmm of compositions. Proteins (qv) and other biological materials ate coveted elsewhere in the Eniyclopedia. One of the products of this type, poly(aspartic acid), may be developed into interesting biodegradable commercial appHcations (70,71). 

These products have no toxicity to mammals, and most are biodegradable. Commercial products include M-Pede, DeMoss, and Savona. 

The first strategy, based on the use of starch for the production of other chemicals was recently reviewed by Robertson et al. [58], Koutinas et al. [59], Kennedy et al. [60] and Otey and Doane [61]. Three different approaches are applied in this context (i) starch as a raw matraial for the production of monomers used in the synthesis of polymers which can be non-biodegradable, such as polyethylene, or biodegradable, such as PLA (the main biodegradable commercial polymer whose monomer, lactic acid, can be obtained from the fermentation of starch [62]) (ii) as a raw material for the production of biopolymCTs like polyhydroxyalkanoates (of which PHB is the main member) (iii) as a raw material for the production of glucose, dextrin and other hydroxyl-containing monomers used in the production of mixed compositions based on starch and other monomers. 

Tests in pure water, river water, and activated sludge showed that commercial ttiaryl phosphates and alkyl diphenyl phosphates undergo reasonably facile degradation by hydrolysis and biodegradation (163—165). The phosphonates can undergo biodegradation of the carbon-to-phosphoms bond by certain microorganisms (166,167). 

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