POS9-0968
Empirical Study on the Anaerobic Degradation and Biogasification of Biodegradable Plastics via Co-digestion with Organic Waste
Topic
S9. Polymer Technology for Sustainability
When and Where
Sep 30, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Heesuk KIM
Jinhye BAE
Presenter(s)
Hwicheol Shin (Incheon National University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
While biodegradable plastics have emerged as a promising alternative to mitigate the environmental pollution caused by conventional recalcitrant plastics, their degradation rate in natural environments remains significantly low. This limitation necessitates specific conditions and dedicated waste treatment infrastructure for practical application. To determine the optimal conditions for processing biodegradable plastics within existing organic waste treatment facilities, this study established anaerobic digestion pilot plants of various capacities in collaboration with Saehan Environmental Technology, an active treatment facility operator. Using these pilot systems, empirical evaluations were conducted on the degradation behavior and biogasification of single-component bioplastics, including PLA, PHA, PBS, and PBAT, under varying anaerobic conditions. The results demonstrated that both PLA and PHA were successfully biogasified under thermophilic anaerobic conditions. Conversely, consistent with previous lab-scale findings, petroleum-based biodegradable plastics such as PBS and PBAT did not undergo biogasification under these same thermophilic conditions. In conclusion, this empirical evaluation verifies that the anaerobic co-digestion of bio-based plastics such as PLA and PHA alongside organic waste can achieve a significantly higher biogas yield compared to the mono-digestion of organic waste alone.
