Biodegradable plastics (BDP) are an alternative to environmental and economical drawbacks of PE agricultural mulches. They are intended to biodegrade into the soil or in compost. BDP materials certified as biodegradable in soil or in compost have passed ecotoxicity biotests after biodegradation, but most BDP ecotoxicity studies do not provide insights on the components these materials may release. The present work aims to characterize the compounds released from BDP to water solutions before biodegradation.

New unused BDP, one paper mulch for agricultural use, a control without any material, and one non-degradable PE mulch, were incubated in a water solution for identification of the released compounds through GC-MS, NMR and UPLC-MS/MS. All BDP released compounds and modified the pH of the solution, with differences depending on the composition of the material. A diversity of compounds used in the formulation of the materials, and their derivatives, were identified in most solutions; mostly, but not exclusively, adipic acid, 1,4-butanediol, lactic acid, glycerol, terephthalic acid, mono and disaccharides, or fatty acids; some were also quantified. Results prove BDP to interact with the environment and to release compounds well before biodegradation may be acknowledged. They are also a step forward towards identifying the links between reported changes in plant development and specific compounds or compound mixtures, and towards a more sustainable and targeted selection and use of BDP for mulching specific plant species in agriculture.

可生物降解塑料（BDP）是PE农用覆盖物的环境和经济缺陷的替代方法。它们旨在生物降解到土壤或堆肥中。被认证为可在土壤或堆肥中生物降解的BDP材料在生物降解后已经通过了生态毒性生物测试，但是大多数BDP生态毒性研究并未提供有关这些材料可能释放的成分的见解。本工作旨在表征生物降解之前从BDP释放到水溶液中的化合物。

在水溶液中孵育新的未使用的BDP，一种农用纸覆盖物，一种不含任何物质的对照和一种不可降解的PE覆盖物，以通过GC-MS，NMR和UPLC-MS / MS鉴定释放的化合物。所有BDP都会释放化合物并改变溶液的pH值，具体取决于材料的组成。在大多数解决方案中，已经确定了用于材料配方的各种化合物及其衍生物。大部分但并非唯一地，己二酸，1，4-丁二醇，乳酸，甘油，对苯二甲酸，单糖和二糖或脂肪酸；一些也被量化了。结果证明BDP与环境相互作用，并在可能被生物降解之前就释放出化合物。