Rapid degradation of cellulose diacetate by marine microbes

Abstract

The persistence of cellulose diacetate (CDA), a biobased plastic used in textiles and single-use consumer products, in the ocean is currently unknown. Here, we probe the disintegration and degradation of CDA-based materials (25 μm films, 510 μm foam, and 97 g/m2 fabric) by marine microbes in a continuous flow seawater mesocosm. Photographic evidence and mass loss measurements demonstrate that CDA-based materials disintegrate in months. Disintegration is marked by the increasing esterase and cellulase activity of the biofilm community, suggesting that marine microbes degrade CDA. The natural abundance stable (13C) and radiocarbon (14C) isotopic signature of carbon dioxide respired during short-term bottle incubations confirms the rapid degradation of both acetyl and cellulosic components of CDA by seawater microbial communities. These findings challenge the paradigm set by governmental agencies and advocacy groups that CDA-based materials persist in the ocean for decades, and represent a positive step toward identifying high-utility, biobased plastics with low environmental persistence.