Releasing non-degradable plastics into the oceans contributes to ghost fishing and microplastic generation, thus increasing the interest in biodegradable alternatives. However, biodegradable plastics decompose slowly in marine environments, and understanding how their chemical structure influences their degradation behavior in the oceans is a growing focus. Herein, we investigated the effects of intrinsic factors such as crystallinity of polyester, the difference in determined by the chemical structure, presence of natural nanofillers and additives on seawater decomposition. Moreover, the biodegradation behavior of polyesters was analyzed based on environmental conditions, such as water temperature and microbial communities. The biodegradation degrees were as follows: poly(butylene succinate-carbonate) > poly(butylene adipate--furanoate) ≫ poly‌(butylene succinate) > poly(butylene adipate--terephthalate) ≫ poly(ʟ-lactic acid). No clear trend in molecular weight change of existing samples was observed because cleaved polymer chains were washed out through surface hydrolysis mechanism. Microbial species richness increased significantly during summer, with no dependency on the type of polyester. This study provides insights into the biodegradation behavior of various polyesters in seawater.

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不同内部化学结构和外部环境因素的聚酯在真实海水中的生物降解行为

将不可降解的塑料释放到海洋中会导致幽灵捕鱼和微塑料的产生，从而增加了人们对可生物降解替代品的兴趣。然而，可生物降解塑料在海洋环境中分解缓慢，了解其化学结构如何影响其在海洋中的降解行为日益受到关注。在此，我们研究了聚酯结晶度、化学结构决定的差异、天然纳米填料和添加剂等内在因素对海水分解的影响。此外，还根据水温和微生物群落等环境条件分析了聚酯的生物降解行为。生物降解程度为：聚丁二酸丁二醇酯-碳酸酯>聚己二酸丁二醇酯-呋喃酸酯>聚丁二酸丁二醇酯>聚己二酸丁二醇酯-对苯二甲酸丁二醇酯>聚乳酸。现有样品的分子量变化没有明显的趋势，因为断裂的聚合物链通过表面水解机制被洗掉。微生物物种丰富度在夏季显着增加，与聚酯类型无关。这项研究深入了解了海水中各种聚酯的生物降解行为。