ABSTRACT Thermosets provide superior chemical and mechanical properties critical for high‐performance applications, but their permanent crosslinked networks severely limit recyclability and end‐of‐life (EOL) management. Traditional approaches relying on cleavable comonomers enable degradation only through slow diffusion of acidic or basic solutions, hindering practical implementation. Here, on‐demand deconstructable thermosets are developed by incorporating stimuli‐responsive thermolatent bases alongside cleavable comonomers prior to polymerization. These latent species remain inert during thermal or photoinitiated curing, including vat photopolymerization 3D printing, preserving classical thermoset performance. Upon near‐infrared photothermal or thermal activation (>100°C), rapid network deconstruction yields soluble branched oligomers, enabling efficient chemical recycling without aggressive solvents during service life. This strategy is demonstrated using thermolatent 1,5,7‐triazabicyclo[4.4.0]dec‐5‐ene derivatives with radical copolymerization of dibenzo[ c , e ]oxepine‐5‐thione with styrene/acrylic monomers, as well as ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of dicyclopentadiene with silyl ether‐containing cyclic olefins. The approach offers programmable degradation for sustainable high‐performance thermosets.

Biodegradable polymers are increasingly promoted as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics, yet their ecotoxicological safety in marine environments remains critically underexplored. Here, we provide a comparative assessment of the acute toxicity of both biodegradable and conventional microplastics — including particles and leachates — on the embryo-larval development of the Pacific oyster Magallana gigas, a sentinel species of major ecological and economic importance in coastal ecosystems. Three biodegradable polymers (polylactic acid (PLA) and two polyhydroxyalcanoates (PHA): poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB4HB) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV)) were tested as well as conventional polystyrene (PS) as reference material. Dose-response exposures to particles (0-100 mg/L) or leachates (0-72 g/L) were performed, and two leaching durations were tested (24h and 14 days). Contrasting effects of PHA were observed: while PHBV leachates had no measurable impact on embryo-larval development, exposure to PHBV particles slightly enhanced D-larval yield and exposure to P3HB4HB particles led to a complete failure of normal D-larvae formation at the highest concentration. Exposure to PLA particles elicited higher toxicity profiles than conventional PS particles and their leachates toxicity increased with the leaching duration. Two trace metals (Fe and Zn) and 22 additives (mainly plasticizers) were detected in the plastic materials and could partly explained the observed toxicity. The use of surfactant and model particles are discussed in regards with the environmental implications of this work. Collectively, our findings challenge the assumption that biodegradable polymers are inherently safer than conventional plastics and provide critical data to inform the environmental risk assessment of next-generation plastic materials.

The increasing use of compostable plastics in organic waste management calls for reliable analytical tools to verify their complete biodegradation and environmental safety. This study builds upon a previous full-scale composting experiment that monitored the disintegration of certified compostable packaging under industrial composting conditions. A dedicated analytical protocol was optimized and validated to extract, identify, and quantify biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) remaining in the compost. The method combines preconcentration by fractionation, deagglomeration in hot water, density separation with CaCl2, mild oxidative digestion with H2O2, and identification by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microscopy. Fragments larger than 35 µm for PBAT and larger than 27 µm for PLA and PHBV were detected. In full-scale industrial composting, the protocol revealed near-complete biodegradation of PLA (98.4 %) and PBAT (92.6 %), whereas PHBV showed partial degradation (49.9 %) due to the structural constraints of the coffee capsule format. Residual BMPs were further assessed under controlled soil conditions, where continued mineralization of PBAT and PHBV confirmed their environmental degradability and low persistence. These findings bridge the gap between disintegration and mineralization, providing quantitative evidence of biodegradation from compost to soil and supporting the environmental compatibility of compostable packaging materials.

Residues from compostable packaging may persist in digestate after anaerobic digestion, raising concerns about their subsequent biodegradation. This study evaluated whether mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD), followed by industrial composting, can improve the biodegradation of these residues. Compostable coffee capsules made of polylactic acid (PLA), poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate) (PHBV), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) were used as model materials to evaluate physicochemical and morphological changes induced by AD. Mesophilic AD significantly altered the supramolecular structure of PLA-, PHBV-, and PBAT-based capsules, whereas PBS-rich formulations remained largely unaffected. AD promoted PLA hydrolysis, induced chain scission, reduced polymer molecular weight, and triggered material fragmentation. These structural modifications markedly accelerated the subsequent biodegradation of PLA-based capsules under industrial composting conditions, reducing the half-time by a factor of 2–3. Integrating mesophilic AD with composting therefore appears to be an effective strategy for treating biowaste containing industrial compostable packaging. This combined process enhances the degradation of PLA–rich residue and can limit plastic contamination in digestate, thereby increasing its overall quality. This integrated AD-composting approach improves the end-of-life management of compostable packaging co-collected with biowaste.

This study assessed the chemical composition and mesophilic anaerobic biodegradability (BI) of 34 commercial compostable food packaging products, including sixteen bags, twelve coffee capsules, and six other products (cups, forks and straws). Thermogravimetric analysis and spectroscopy techniques allowed to determine the proportions of polymers (PLA, PBAT, PBS, PHBV, PE, cellulose, and starch) and additives (inorganic and organic). Six compositional clusters were identified: PHBV-based products (BI = 92 f 1 %), cellulose-based products (BI = 85 f 9 %), PLA-based products (BI = 30 f 20 %), PBAT/starch-based bags (BI = 25 f 8 %), PE/starch-based bags (BI = 9.5 f 0.5 %), and PBS/PLA-based capsules (BI = 6.6 f 3.0 %). Only select cellulosebased products (three bags, one cup, and one capsule) and the PHBV-based products (five capsules and one straw) exhibited a biodegradability over 80 %. Analyzing product composition reveals components that affect biodegradability in anaerobic digestion, thus aiding manufacturers to eco-design more sustainable food packaging.

In the current European regulatory context, which requires its Member States to collect biowaste separately with a view to its organic recovery, the co-processing of compostable food packaging with biowaste by mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) offers the dual opportunity of promoting its conversion into biogas while reducing plastic contamination of the environment. However, most packaging items on the market - particularly those made from poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), polylactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene succinate (PBS) - show poor biodegradability under mesophilic AD conditions. To overcome this limitation, thermoalkaline pre-treatments conditions were carried out to hydrolyze the most resistant polymers and improve their digestibility during AD. As PBAT is the most recalcitrant, the pre-treatment conditions were first optimized using pure PBAT, before extending the application to various compostable commercial items, including bags and coffee capsules. Optimal pre-treatment conditions (3 M KOH at 70 degrees C for 4 h) allowed for the effective solubilization of all the items tested. As a result, Biochemical Methane Potentials (BMP) were significantly increased with improvements ranging from 2 to 3 times for bags and 1.4 to 17 times for coffee capsules, even though they contained PBAT, PLA or PBS. By sufficiently reducing the molecular weight of recalcitrant polymers so that they can be assimilated by microorganisms, this pre-treatment has demonstrated its ability to enable their biodegradation in mesophilic AD. This versatile and universal pre-treatment approach offers a promising solution recovering biowaste with compostable packaging by converting them into methane while improving the quality of AD digestates.

After revolutionizing everyday life in all sectors, including food packaging, providential plastic has turned into a time bomb, with harmful long-term effects of plastic waste. By setting up a research strategy simultaneously focusing on resources, usage and post-usage aspects of alternative packaging materials and technologies, advances are expected in terms of materials respectful of circular economy principles. In this context, biocomposite materials able to return to the soil through biodegradation and those constituents are all stemming from agricultural residues appear as interesting alternatives. As each food category presents specific needs, current demands for research deal with the development of the just necessary "custom-made" food packaging that offers a compromise between product quality, minimal environmental impact and maximum safety. To guide users in their choice of sustainable packaging, taking into account their constraints and expectations, decision-support tools are thus required. This chapter presents the current knowledge regarding (i) modeling and decision-support tools to address the multi-criteria and multi-actor aspects of the issue, (ii) the European scale development of eco-efficient composite materials derived from unrecycled agri-food residues, (iii) the stringent scrutiny that needs to be placed on the safety of these materials in contact, and finally (iv) clarification of their end-of-life options.

The incorporation of representative commercial compostable materials into a full-scale open-air windrow composting process in an industrial site using household-separated biowaste was investigated. Two batches out of the same initial biowaste mixture were studied, one as control and the other containing initially 1.28 wt% of certified compostable plastics. No significant differences in the composting process were revealed. Compostable plastics exhibited a 98 wt% mass loss after 4 months, aligning with industrial composting times. The evolution of the morphology of the materials unveiled polymer specific degradation mechanisms. Both Safety requirements for organic farming were met. Ecotoxicity tests showed no adverse effects, agronomic fertilizing and amending quality was high, the materials compost even enhancing barley growth. The ecological impact assessment demonstrated an advantage for composting over incineration for seven of the eight indicators. In conclusion, this study shows the successful integration of compostable materials into industrial composting, upholding product safety and quality.

The dataset reports the impact of incorporating commercial compostable plastics into a full-scale open-air windrow composting process using household-separated biowaste. Two batches were prepared from the same biowaste mixture: one as a control and the other with 1.28 wt% of certified compostable plastics. The degradation of the materials was monitored over four months by regular sampling, which matched the industrial composting duration. The final compost was evaluated for agronomic quality and safety. Life-cycle assessment was performed based on data collected on process resource usage. The dataset includes an extensive review of full-scale composting experiments, raw and processed data on the composting process, biodegradation of the materials, disintegration kinetics, and the evolution of morphological parameters of the plastics. Industrial-scale data are very rare and can be compared with lab-scale data to assess the differences in compostable material behavior due to scaling up the process.

This opinion paper offers a scientific view on the current debate of the place of biodegradable plastics as part of the solution to deal with the growing plastic pollution in the world's soil, aquatic, and marine compartments. Based on the current scientific literature, we focus on the current limits to prove plastic biodegradability and to assess the toxicity of commercially used biobased and biodegradable plastics in natural environments. We also discuss the relevance of biodegradable plastics for selected applications with respect to their use and end of life. In particular, we underlined that there is no universal biodegradability of plastics in any ecosystem, that considering the environment as a waste treatment system is not acceptable, and that the use of compostable plastics requires adaptation of existing organic waste collection and treatment channels.

Lignocellulosic by-products are frequently disposed by means of combustion. This study investigates an alternative route for corn cob and Kraft lignin resources in order to support circular economy. The respective plantbased fibres and filler were compounded for the first time together with a poly(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix. Consecutively, seven different biocomposites were processed by injection-moulding and further characterized. The biocomposite containing a mixture of Kraft lignin and corn cob (12 wt% in total) exhibited the highest flexural strength (84 MPa). A proper wetting of PLA onto the corn cob particles demonstrated a good compatibility at matrix/fibre interface. PLA molecular structure changed in presence of 20 wt% lignin filler, with effect on the glass transition temperature and on the composite mechanical strength. The fibres moderately influenced composites surface tension, while Kraft lignin contributed to a slight increase of surface hydrophobicity. Surface energy (sigma sTotal) of composites have been estimated at 27.6, 28.7 and 27.8 mN/m for PLA/KL-20, PLA/CC-10 and PLA/KL-15/CC-5 respectively. While the polar component (sigma sPolar) have been estimated at 17.8, 20.0 and 18.7 mN/m for PLA/KL-20, PLA/CC-10 and PLA/KL-15/CC-5 respectively. Unlike the PLA/corn cob composite, those containing Kraft lignin were entirely biodegraded within 2 months in industrial composting conditions study. The materials could be utilized for end-use products thanks to their good mechanical and thermal properties. By adding wood-lignin and corn by-products, materials cost and carbon footprint shall decrease in comparison to pure PLA, while being a biodegradable and sustainable replacement of polyolefins.

To date, the introduction of biodegradable plastics such as PLA in anaerobic digestion systems has been limited by a very low rate of biodegradation. To overcome these limitations, pretreatment technologies can be applied. In this study, the impact of pretreatments (mechanical, thermal, thermo-acid, and thermo-alkaline) was investigated. Mechanical pretreatment of PLA improved its biodegradation rate but did not affect the ultimate methane potential (430-461 NL CH4 kg(-1) VS). In parallel, thermal and thermo-acid pretreatments exhibited a similar trend for PLA solubilization. Both of these pretreatments only achieved substantial solubilization (>60%) at higher temperatures (120 and 150 degrees C). At lower temperatures (70 and 90 degrees C), negligible solubilization (between 1 and 6%) occurred after 48 h. By contrast, coupling of thermal and alkaline pretreatment significantly increased solubilization at the lower temperatures (70 and 90 degrees C). In terms of biodegradation, thermo-alkaline pretreatment (with 5% w/v Ca(OH)(2)) of PLA resulted in a similar methane potential (from 325 to 390 NL CH4 kg(-1) VS) for 1 h at 150 degrees C, 6 h at 120 degrees C, 24 h at 90 degrees C, and 48 h at 70 degrees C. Reduction of the Ca(OH)(2) concentration (from 5% to 0.5% w/v) highlighted that a concentration of 2.5% w/v was sufficient to achieve a substantial level of biodegradation. Pretreatment at 70 and 90 degrees C using 2.5% w/v Ca(OH)(2) for 48 h resulted in biodegradation yields of 73% and 68%, respectively. Finally, a good correlation (R-2 = 0.90) was found between the PLA solubilization and its biodegradation.

Essential oils (EO) contain active agents (AA) possessing repellent, antimicrobial and insecticidal properties. Encapsulation is a way to control their release and increasing the AA activity. The release kinetic from the matrix in a controlled environment can be interpolated by the solution of a zero-, half- or first-order differential equation. Even if in practical the release rate might be more complicated, their parameters provide pertinent information about the processes. Several models exist to fit the experimental data and also to describe the release mechanisms such as Avrami, Korsmeyer-Peppas or Higuchi. In the field of controlled release, the Avrami’s equation was generally used to describe the dissolution of a drug in a liquid. Indeed, Avrami’s equation considers several phenomena that may occur simultaneous such as the diffusion of the penetrant into the matrix, the potential swelling of matrix and the release of drug. The objective of this study was to use these three different models to evaluate the release in atmosphere of two different essential oils from an organic matrix. The two essential oils: spearmint and sweet orange, are characterised by varied properties, the former being less volatile, more polar and more viscous than the latter. Moreover, limonene was present in both oils but in higher concentration in one of them. As expected, Avrami’s model leads to the best fit of the experimental kinetic data. The identification of the exponent of Avrami’s model: n, varying between 0.40 and 0.75, indicates that the prevailing release mechanism is diffusional for both essential oils. The usefulness and relevance of the other models will be discussed taking into account the essential oil nature and the envisaged practical applications.

In this study, the impact of nanofillers on the performance of starch/chitosan composites produced by extrusion was investigated. Blends from three different proportions of starch/chitosan were produced and, for each blend, three different filler concentrations were tested. The natural -Na+ montmorillonite (Mt) and bamboo fibers were used as fillers. The composites were obtained using a twin-screw extruder from homo and nanostructured masterbatch pellets. The films were characterized concerning surface, mechanical, barrier, and thermal properties, as well as morphology and molecular changes. The results showed that the incorporation of Mt or bamboo fibers exhibited high water vapor barrier: films produced from only starch structured with 0.5 g Mt/100 g presented water vapor transmission of (4.9 +/- 1.3) g/h m(2), whereas films produced from starch/chitosan blend at proportion 75/25 structured with 1.0 g Mt/100 g presented (8.9 +/- 0.5) g/h m(2). Therefore, these materials showed competitiveness for their application to food packaging.

Vine shoots are lignocellulosic agricultural residues. In addition to being an interesting source of polyphenols, they can be used as fillers in a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) matrix to decrease the overall cost and to propose an alternative to non-biodegradable fossil-based materials. The objective of the present work was to investigate how the incorporation of vine shoots fillers and a preliminary polyphenol extraction step could impact the biodegradability of biocomposites. Biocomposites (20 wt %) were produced by microcompounding. The biodegradation of materials was assessed by respirometric tests in soil. The negative impact of polyphenols on the biodegradability of vine shoots was confirmed. This was supported by crystallinity measurements and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations, which showed no difference in structure nor morphology between virgin and exhausted vine shoots particles. The incorporation of vine shoots fillers in PHBV slightly accelerated the overall biodegradation kinetics. All the biocomposites produced were considered fully biodegradable according to the French and European standard NF EN 17033, allowing the conclusion that up-cycling vine shoots for the production of lignocellulosic fillers is a promising strategy to provide biodegradable materials in natural conditions. Moreover, in a biorefinery context, polyphenol extraction from vine shoots has the advantage of improving their biodegradability.

The flourishing market of nanocomposite food packaging has raised concerns about the safety of these materials. While several works on this issue have been published in recent years, they main focus in these studies was found to be on the possible migration of the nanoparticle its constituents. However, thorough safety evaluation of these materials would not be realistic until the nano-packaging system would be regarded as a whole with all of its components and the interactions of all these components. This matter is specifically crucial in terms of the interaction of nanoparticles with the non-nano additives which are added during the packaging processing. As the toxicity of these processing additives is no less than the nanoparticles, the possible impact of the nano particles on the transfer properties of these substances could play a decisive role on the risk assessments of the nanocomposite for food application. This study is an attempt through a thorough analysis of nanocomposite risks in terms of the interactions of components and the resulting effects on the release of nanocomposite substances. In this regard a model nanocomposite of LLDPE and nanoclay which is also comprised of intercalants and some selective additives were put in contact with various food simulants were considered and the global, specific and elemental exposure to the substances were extensively evaluated. The results are believed to provide more tenable judgements about the safety of polymer nanocomposites.

Les comportements humains et l’utilisation intensive du plastique associes a une faible performance des systemes de gestion ont engendre une accumulation massive de dechets plastiques dans le milieu marin ou ils representent 50 a 80 % de l’ensemble des dechets. Leur distribution, leurs comportements en mer, leur degradation et leurs impacts decoulent directement de leur composition et proprietes d’usage. Cette infographie fait un bilan des connaissances et decrit les principaux enjeux scientifiques, environnementaux et socio-economiques, ainsi que les possibles solutions necessaires a la gestion d’un probleme environnemental devenu global.