ReviewMolecules (Basel, Switzerland)2025
Degradable Alternatives to Single-Use Plastics: Mechanisms, Materials, and Strategies for Sustainable Polyolefin Replacement.
Review in Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The widespread use of single-use plastics, particularly polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), has resulted in severe environmental pollution due to their durability and resistance to degradation. This report reviews current degradable alternatives to conventional polyolefins and strategies for enhancing their breakdown in natural and managed environments. Mechanisms of abiotic and biotic degradation are examined alongside the influence of environmental factors and standardized testing protocols. Commercially available biodegradable polymers-such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), starch-based plastics, cellulose derivatives, chitosan, and protein-based materials-are evaluated for their sources, degradation behavior, applications, scalability, and limitations. In addition, modification techniques for PE and PP, including copolymerization, pro-degradant additives, blending with biodegradable fillers, surface functionalization, enzyme-assisted degradation, and photocatalytic additives, are critically assessed for their potential to reduce environmental persistence. Key challenges such as performance trade-offs, incomplete degradation, ecotoxicity, cost, scalability, and end-of-life management are discussed within the context of circular economic integration. This report concludes with future research directions aimed at developing cost-effective, high-performance materials that degrade completely under real-world conditions while minimizing ecological impacts.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.