Biodegradability of nylon 4 film in a marine environment

Biodegradability of nylon 4 in seawater from Tokyo Bay was investigated by weight loss and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of nylon 4 films. The remaining weight of nylon 4 film decreased with incubation time in the seawater, and the percentage of weight loss of nylon 4 film was 30% after 3 weeks. BOO biodegradability of nylon 4 film was approximately 80% within 25 days. Scanning electron microscopy images of the nylon 4 film before and after the seawater treatment revealed that the surface of the nylon 4 films was eroded after biodegradation in seawater. The average molecular weights of the nylon 4 films indicated no significant difference between before and after 30% weight loss of the film. Based on the present data, nylon 4 film was degraded on the surface of the film in the seawater. Furthermore, microbial degradation seemed to be one of the main degradation mechanisms of nylon 4. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.