Investigation of biodegradability of composites based on polyethylene and polysaccharides by independent methods

The biodegradability of the binary polymer composites containing a polysaccharide and low density polyethylene was improved via addition of a second polysaccharide as a third component. It has been studied by three independent methods, viz., the measurement of the sample weight loss after exposure in soil, tests on fungus resistance, and the examination of the changes in the sample morphology by SEM. The composite biodegradability was shown to depend on the component ratio and the polysaccharide nature.