The biodegradation behaviors of several forms of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyvalerate] (P(3HB-co-3HV)) in seawater and freshwater, namely, powder, cast film, undrawn fiber, and fivefold-drawn fiber, were analyzed via biochemical oxygen demand, weight loss, and scanning electron microscopy measurements. The powder showed the highest degradation rate, attributed to its larger surface area, which allows microorganisms to attach to the surface and form a biofilm that begins to degrade sooner. The fivefold-drawn fibers degraded more slowly than the undrawn fibers owing to the higher crystallinity caused by the orientation of the former. Moreover, the degradation results of the fivefold-drawn fibers in seawater and freshwater showed that the degradation rate depended on the number of microorganisms in both environmental water types. The analysis of the degradation behavior in the freshwater revealed that the crystalline and amorphous phases in the film degraded simultaneously, whereas the degradation of the fibers started from the amorphous phase, followed by the crystalline phase.

几种形式的聚[( R )-3-羟基丁酸酯-co -( R )-3-羟基戊酸酯] (P(3HB- co-3HV)) 在海水和淡水中，即粉末、流延膜、未拉伸纤维和五倍拉伸纤维，通过生化需氧量、重量损失和扫描电子显微镜测量进行分析。该粉末表现出最高的降解率，这归因于其更大的表面积，这使微生物能够附着在表面并形成生物膜，从而更快地开始降解。由于前者的取向导致更高的结晶度，五倍拉伸的纤维比未拉伸的纤维降解得更慢。此外，五倍拉伸纤维在海水和淡水中的降解结果表明，降解率取决于两种环境水体中微生物的数量。