Photodegradable Plastics as a Mitigation Strategy

A recent study compared the performance of two types of enhanced pho-todegradable polyethylene film samples under marine exposme conditions [99]. One of them was a copolymer of ethylene and carbon monoxide ( 1%) (ECO) typically used in six-pack rings, and the other was a polyethylene film containing low levels of a metal compound catalyst (MX). The degradable samples as well as control samples of polyethylene film were exposed at two locations, Biscayne Bay, Florida, and Puget Sound, Washington, both in air and floating in 

As might be expected, the control samples deteriorated at a much slower rate in seawater compared to in air when exposed at the same location. 

The degree of enhancement in breakdown obtained with these films (relative to regular polyethylene films of the same thickness) in marine exposures was clearly significant. But the degree of enhancement was considerably less than for similar sample exposures in air. This is generally attributed 

Coe and D. B. Rogers, Marine Debris Sources, Impacts, and Solutions, Springer, New York, 1997. 

GESAMP (Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution), The State of the Marine Environment, Blackwell Scientific, London, 1991. 

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