H Morin
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hm0rin.bsky.social
H Morin
@hm0rin.bsky.social
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PhD Student at CMU
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hm0rin.bsky.social
Could you point me towards what you were reading about poor breakdown? Confused by your statement vs a paper cited on wikipedia suggesting highly water soluble PVA like those in detergents break down fairly well (Byrne et al 2021, open source uses EU microplastic non soluble def)
Not all PVA grades are biodegradable, but studies show that high water soluble PVA grades such as the ones used in detergents can be readily biodegradable. Byrne et al 2021 Questions and potential misperceptions have arisen about the potential contribution of liquid detergent capsules to the environmental microplastics issue. The film of these detergents is highly water soluble, also in cold water, as it must fully dissolve during every type of washing process. Water-soluble grades of polyvinyl alcohol, the most commonly used detergent capsule film material, are recognised to be biodegradable. In the current paper, adequate biodegradability is confirmed by means of ready biodegradation screening tests, across a range of polyvinyl alcohol detergent grade films. The high water solubility in itself implies that detergent capsule films are not within the microplastic scope. Furthermore, their biodegradability ensures there is no concern for persistence or accumulation in the environment.
March 13, 2025 at 11:20 PM