In the present study commercial Polylactic Acid-based disposable cups and plates were selected for lab scale anaerobic degradability tests. The experiments were carried out under thermophilic conditions at different inoculum to substrate ratios and test material sizes, and the specific biogas production and associated kinetics were evaluated. Maximum biogas production was comparable for almost all the experimental runs (1620 and 1830 NmL/gTOC_PLA) and a biodegradation degree in the range 86–100% was attained. Moreover, physical, chemical and microscopical analyses were used to characterize the tested materials before and after the degradation. The products composition was assessed and the presence of some additives (mainly Ca-based) was detected. Potential correlations among the process parameters and product composition were derived and a delay in process kinetics with increasing amount of additives embedded in the polymeric matrix was observed, confirming the relevant influence of the chemical blend on the biodegradation process.

在本研究中，选择基于聚乳酸的商用一次性杯子和盘子进行实验室规模的厌氧降解性测试。实验在嗜热条件下以不同的接种底物比例和测试材料大小进行，并评估了特定的沼气产量和相关动力学。几乎所有实验运行的最大沼气产量都相当（1620 和 1830 NmL/gTOC _PLA) 并且达到了 86-100% 的生物降解度。此外，还使用物理、化学和显微分析来表征降解前后的测试材料。对产品成分进行了评估，并检测到某些添加剂（主要是钙基）的存在。推导了工艺参数和产品组成之间的潜在相关性，并观察到工艺动力学随着聚合物基质中嵌入的添加剂数量的增加而延迟，从而证实了化学混合物对生物降解过程的相关影响。