Quantification of Synthetic Polyesters from Biodegradable Mulch Films in Soils.
Journal article

Quantification of Synthetic Polyesters from Biodegradable Mulch Films in Soils.

  • Nelson TF Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Remke SC Drinking Water Chemistry Group, Water Resources and Drinking Water, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
  • Kohler HE Environmental Biochemistry Group; Environmental Microbiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
  • McNeill K Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
  • Sander M Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
Show more…
  • 2019-11-19
Published in:
  • Environmental science & technology. - 2020
English Soil biodegradable mulch films composed of the polyester polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) are being increasingly used in agriculture. Analytical methods to quantify PBAT in field soils are needed to assess its soil occurrence and fate. Here, we report an analytical method for PBAT in soils that couples Soxhlet extraction or accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) with quantitative protonnuclear magnetic resonance (q-1H NMR) spectroscopy detection. The 1H NMR peak areas of aromatic PBAT protons increased linearly with PBAT concentrations dissolved in deuterated chloroform (CDCl3), demonstrating accurate quantitation of PBAT by q-1H NMR. Spike-recovery experiments involving PBAT addition to model sorbents and soils showed increased PBAT extraction efficiencies into chloroform (CHCl3) with methanol (MeOH) as cosolvent, consistent with MeOH competitively displacing PBAT from H-bond donating sites on mineral surfaces. Systematic variations in solvent composition and temperatures in ASE revealed quantitative PBAT extraction from soil with 90/10 volume % CHCl3/MeOH at 110-120 °C. Both Soxhlet extraction and ASE resulted in the complete recovery of PBAT added to a total of seven agricultural soils covering a range of physicochemical properties, independent of whether PBAT was added to soils dissolved in CHCl3, as film, or as particles. Recovery was also complete for PBAT added to soil in the form of a commercial soil biodegradable mulch film with coextractable polylactic acid (PLA). The presented analytical method enables accurate quantification and biodegradation monitoring of PBAT in agricultural field soils.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/65669
Statistics

Document views: 21 File downloads: