Polymers: From water solubility to biodegradability

Water-soluble polymers (WSPs) are important components in personal care and household products, but after use they end up in wastewater instead of being recycled: Under these circumstances, how can sustainable WSP end-of-life management be carried out, and where and how may be complete biodegradability possible, i.e. can complex WSPs be completely metabolised by microorganisms into energy, water, carbon dioxide and biomass? Supported by commercial partner BASF SE, an interdisciplinary team led by Head of Laboratory Michael Zumstein (University of Vienna) and Head of Module Teresa Steininger-Mairinger (BOKU University) is investigating questions such as these in the CD Laboratory for Biodegradation of Water-Soluble Polymers in order to make an important contribution to the future sustainable and efficient use of WSPs.