Biological degradation of a cassava starch and polylactic acid film by Ulomoides dermestoides (Chevrolat, 1878)

Abstract

On the planet the management of plastic waste has become an environmental problem, which has given rise to policies of rationalization of the use of plastic materials. Plastic recovery technologies use as raw material, recovered material, which is also used as an energy source, however these alternatives have proved inefficient and are far from being a definitive solution to this problem (E. Rudnik & Briassoulis, 2011).

The increase in the use of plastics is harmful to the environment, which has resulted in the world turning its gaze towards biodegradable polymers, especially those from agricultural raw materials, which has shown an opportunity to use renewable sources in the production of some of these polymers and reduce dependence on the use of petrochemical sources (Versino, López, & García, 2015), in this context at the University of Cauca, films obtained from thermoplastic cassava starch (TPS) and polylactic acid (PLA) have been proposed as biodegradable plastics (Villada et al., 2008 Acosta Zuleta et al., 2007;Navia & Villada Castillo, 2013; Palechor Tróchez et al., 2016; Velasco Mosquera et al., 2008; Villada Castillo et al., 2012; Villada et al., 2008) with potential industrial and commercial uses. However, under uncontrolled composting conditions, the biodegradability of this type of material may be of low efficiency, so it is necessary to develop alternative procedures to verify its biological degradation (Shah et al., 2008, Iovino et al., 2008; Smetana et al., 2016; Bassi, 2017). The above, due to the use of this type of materials in a range of multiple applications, such as food packaging products, containers, films, foams including agriculture (Glenn, Orts, Imam, Chiou, & Wood, 2014; Palechor Tróchez et al., 2016), has become a problem of global magnitude, due to the short time of use, and the final disposal of these materials, which is increasingly severe (Tumwesigye, Oliveira, & Gallagher, 2016).

This investigation has been developed in accordance with the studies of biodegradable packaging development of the University of Cauca, and in general as an alternative towards the sustainable and sustainable development of the investigations around biodegradable polymers. In order to achieve this study, three objectives were proposed that respond to the phases of biodegradation in a joint and integral manner, which allow elucidating the scope of the proposal for the sake of social transference: i) Evaluate the degree of disintegration of a plastic film of cassava starch and polylasctic acid by monitoring its structural changes caused by Ulomoides dermestoides, ii) Determine the degree of mineralization of a plastic film of cassava starch and polylactic acid by quantifying carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by Ulomoides dermestoides and iii) Evaluate the effect of the assimilation of a plastic film of cassava starch and polylactic acid on Ulomoides dermestoides.