INTERACTION BETWEEN PVC FILMS AND ENRICHED CHORUME

ABSTRACT

PVC is one of the most industrial polymers used in the world. The large amount of plastic waste is a serious problem for the environment (discarded plastic represents 20% in volume for the municipal landfill). Incineration of PVC films used as food packaging produces toxic gas. PVC plastic recycling is limited to some products such as flooring and laminated materials. Biodegradation is another method to solve the plastic disposal. Chorume, a liquid waste deriving from municipal waste, rich in many kinds of microrganisms, can be used to degrade PVC films. This work shows that PVC films treated with chorume solution present structural changes verified by FTIR measurement. These changes are in the 1700 to 1600 cm^-1 range, and related to the presence of carbonyl groups, hydroperoxides and insaturation in the polymer matrix.

KEY WORDS:
PVC; chorume; biotransformation; FTIR; film; landfill.