Influence of biodegradation of polyhydroxyalkanoates on soil properties and composition

Biodegradable plastics are presented as a promising replacement for synthetic polymers. In soil, they are expected to be fully degraded by micro-organisms within a short time and to be inherently harmless to the environment. However, this assumption needs to be verified, and it is important to pay attention to the impact on soil´s biota as well as the effect of the biodegradation process could have on soil properties, composition and structure. In this work was studied the effect of biodegradation of poly(R-3-hydroxybutyrate), (P3HB), belonging to the group of polyhydroxyalkanoates, on the structure and physicochemical properties of soil. P3HB particles were mixed in different concentrations with soil in which biodegradation experiments were carried out under different conditions - i.e. with and without growing plant, with and without nitrogen fertilization. After 90 days, were soil analyzed. Thermogravimetry was used to determine the amount of residual non-degraded micro-bioplastics and to determine the effect of biodegradation on the properties of soil organic matter. Differential scanning calorimetry provided information on the effect of biodegradation on the evaporation enthalpy of adsorbed water from the soil, while the amount of water in the soil was also determined. Furthermore, the effect on field water holding capacity was determined and sieve analysis of individual samples was performed to characterize the effect of biodegradation on soil particle size distribution. Biodegradation conditions were shown to affect not only the rate of biodegradation but also some soil parameters. As expected, biodegradation of P3HB was proved to be faster in a nutrient-rich environment. In contrast, lack of nitrogen in soil with growing plant caused a decrease in the evaporation enthalpy of water and a reduction in the amount of water in soil, which can lead to easier soil drying and cause stress conditions for plant growth. Increased soil particle aggregation was observed in all sample series with P3HB compared to soils without P3HB addition