Active microbial communities during the thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic digestion of the main biodegradable plastics

Biodegradable plastics market is increasing these last decades, and anaerobic digestion has to be investigated as a potential end-of-life scenario. For this purpose, mesophilic (38 celcius degree) and thermophilic (58 celcius degree) anaerobic digestion tests were performed on the main biodegradable plastics (PLA, PCL, PHB, TPS, PBS and PBAT). Methane production and active microbial communities involved in the process were compared according to the plastic digested.