The Controversy Surrounding the Toxicity of Biodegradable Plastics: PBAT as a Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29356/jmcs.v70i1.2411Keywords:
TBTBT, 1,4-butanediol, adipic acid, terephthalic acid, TPA, TBTAbstract
Abstract. Synthetic plastics contribute to increase human comfort, but they also represent a huge pollution problem. One way to avoid contamination is with biodegradable plastics, such as PBAT [poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalate)]. The controversy begins with the apparent negative effect of PBAT on plant growth, and also because it could cause behavioral abnormalities in zebrafish. Previous studies suggest that biodegradation products could be responsible for this. The potential toxicity of biodegradation products and PBAT can be analyzed through the binding energies with biomolecules such as guanine-cytosine (GC). This Density Functional Theory investigation analyzes the interaction of biodegradation products with GC. All compounds under study form stable systems with GC and may be toxic. These results are consistent with previous toxicity research which conclude that PBAT degradation products may be more toxic than PBAT microplastics.
Resumen. Los plásticos sintéticos contribuyen a aumentar el confort humano, pero también representan un enorme problema de contaminación. Una forma de evitar la contaminación es con plásticos biodegradables, como el PBAT [poli(butileno-adipato-co-tereftalato)]. La controversia comienza con el aparente efecto negativo del PBAT sobre el crecimiento de las plantas, y también porque podría causar anomalías de comportamiento en el pez cebra. Estudios previos sugieren que los productos de biodegradación podrían ser responsables de esto. La toxicidad potencial de los productos de biodegradación y el PBAT se puede analizar a través de las energías de enlace con biomoléculas como la guanina-citosina (GC). Esta investigación utiliza la Teoría de Funcionales de la Densidad para analizar la interacción de los productos de biodegradación con GC. Todos los compuestos estudiados forman sistemas estables con GC y podrían ser tóxicos. Estos resultados son consistentes con investigaciones de toxicidad que concluyen que los productos de degradación del PBAT pueden ser más tóxicos que los microplásticos de PBAT.
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