Welcome to this lunch seminar on ''Biodegradation of polymer blends and their microplasti c risks''.

Although biodegradable plastics are widely reg arded as a promising solution to the global plastic pollution crisis\, bio degradability alone does not guarantee the absence of negative environment al impacts. In practice\, biodegradable polymers are frequently modified t hrough blending with other polymers or elastomers\, which may be either bi odegradable or non-biodegradable. As the transition from conventional plas tics to biodegradable alternatives accelerates\, it is therefore critical to understand their degradation behavior and the potential environmental r isks associated with microplastic formation and accumulation.

Here in\, we demonstrate that both the morphology of polymer blends and the dif ferences in biodegradability between their constituent phases strongly inf luence the overall biodegradation kinetics. In particular\, phase-separate d “sea–island” morphologies result in dispersed polymer domains that effectively behave as microplastics upon degradation of the matrix\, lead ing to a high risk of microplastic generation from biodegradable polymer b lends. These findings highlight the need for careful material design\, use \, and end-of-life management of biodegradable plastics. Given the scale o f the ongoing paradigm shift toward biodegradable products\, a comprehensi ve assessment of their degradation pathways and environmental fate is esse ntial to avoid unintended ecological consequences.

Dr. Xinfeng Wei \, researcher at Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology\, KTH Royal In stitute of Technology will give a talk on his research and current investi gations.

We hope you can participate in this lunch seminar\, and t hat we can further develop our research collaboration.

Zoom link: Zoom (https://hb-se.zoom.us/j/5935431895