Special · Commentary
SU Lingfeng, CHEN Zheng, ZHUANG Chujin, DONG Zhongjie
Biodegradable refers to the decomposition that occurs under the action of biological activity, gradually decomposed by microorganisms or certain organisms as a source of nutrition, and ultimately decomposed into structurally simple compounds, inorganic salts, and biological dead bodies. Biodegradable textile materials mainly include natural fibers such as Hemp, Cotton, Bamboo, regenerated fibers such as Viscose, Modal, and Lyocell, as well as new synthetic fibers such as PLA and PHA. The optimal degradation performance of biodegradable textile materials is related to their structural composition and is mainly limited by degradation conditions. In this paper, the biodegradation rates of microcrystalline cellulose, hemp, cotton fiber and cotton non-woven fabric were measured under aerobic composting degradation conditions. Combined with the test results of other researchers, the effects of the chemical composition of textile materials, the selection of biodegradation test methods, and the organizational structure of textile products on the biodegradation test results of textile materials and products were analyzed. Then, the CO2 content in the mixed gas was determined by “absorption method” and “non-dispersive infrared spectroscopy method”, which was the typical data measurement methods of aerobic biodegradation test methods, and it was proposed that the data measurement methods of aerobic degradation test methods have uncertain effects on the biodegradation test results. This study is conducive to standardizing the biodegradation test and evaluation of biodegradable textile materials, and promoting the green development of new technologies and materials in the textile industry.