An overview of methods for biodegradability testing of biopolymers and packaging materials

This paper gives an overview of the methods used at the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) for the biodegradability testing of solid polymers and packaging materials. Biodegradability of each polymer included in the packaging material should be separately tested. Aquatic aerobic and anaerobic tests and, in specific cases, enzymatic tests are used for screening purposes. The application of aquatic aerobic tests—an automated Sturm test (OECD 301B; ASTM D5209) and a VTT headspace test as well as an anaerobic test (ASTM D5210)—is discussed. Three composting tests and their applications are summarized. These tests are regarded as important because they can be used to simulate the biodegradability under real-life conditions. Several tests are needed to determine the fate of the polymer under real conditions and to study its biodegradability in different environments. The time needed for complete biodegradation of polymers in nature is impossible to predict with laboratory tests and should be studiedin vivo.According to the lecture given in Sweden at the Royal Institute of Technology, at a workshop on polymers from renewable resources and their degradation, November 10–11, 1994.     

Analyzing the carbon dynamics of central European forests: comparison of Biome-BGC simulations with measurements

Biogeochemical models are often used for making projections of future carbon dynamics under scenarios of global change. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of the process-based biogeochemical model Biome-BGC for application in central European forests from the lowlands to upper treeline as a pre-requisite for environmental impact assessments. We analyzed model behavior along an altitudinal gradient across the alpine treeline, which provided insights on the sensitivity of simulated average carbon pools to changes in environmental factors. A second set of tests included medium-term (30 years) simulations of carbon fluxes, and a third set of tests focused on daily carbon and water fluxes. Model results were compared to aboveground biomass measurements, leaf area index recordings as well as net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and actual evapotranspiration (AET) measurements. The simulated medium-term forest growth agreed well with measured data. Also daily NEE fluxes were simulated adequately in most cases. Problems were detected when simulating ecosystems close to the upper timberline (overestimation of measured growth and pool sizes), and when simulating daily AET fluxes (overestimation of measured fluxes). The results showed that future applications of Biome-BGC could benefit much from an improvement of model algorithms (e.g., the Q₁₀ model for respiration) as well as from a detailed analysis of the ecological significance of crucial parameters (e.g., the canopy water interception coefficient).     

Metabolism of the insecticide Baythroid by cell suspension cultures

The metabolism of Benzyl-U-¹⁴C-labeled Baythroid, a pyrethroid insecticide, performed in callus and suspension culture of tomatoes, cotton, apples, carrots, potatoes, peanuts, and wheat. The main part of the research was on tomato cell cultures. The main degradation products identified were glucose conjugates of 3-phenoxy-4-fluorobenzylalcohol, 3-phenoxy-4-fluorobenzoic acid and a more polar metabolite assumed to be a disaccharid conjugate of these compounds. In addition a carboxylic acid amide metabolite was formed from Baythroid by hydrolysis of its α-cyano group.