Biodegradation of polycaprolactone and its blends with poly(vinylalcohol) by microorganisms from a compost of house-hold refuse

Polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(vinylalcohol) (PV4l) and their blends have been incubated in the presence of a pure strain of micro-organisms isolated from an industrial compost for house-hold refuse. In the conditions used in this work, pure polycaprolactone (PCL) films are completely assimilated over periods of 600-800 h. Pure PVAl is not degraded even for much longer exposure times. Unexpectedly, the blends, even PCL rich, are not altered (neither weight loss, oxygen uptake nor micro-organism growth) in the presence of these micro-organisms. It has been shown that inactivation of the strain by PVAl does not occur and is not responsible for this. PVAl, even when present in small amounts in the incubation medium, adsorbs on the surface of PCL or blend films; PCL is then inaccessible to micro-organisms. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Limited