The latest research achievement of degradable materials is that disposable tableware manufacturers naturally synthesize high polymer materials through the growth of bacteria in the fermentation place, such as polyhydroxybutyl ester (PHB), which is the real sense of biodegradable materials. This microbial polyester, which can be produced in organisms, is an exciting discovery in the field of degradable materials research. It is a material stored in bacteria to cope with food stress. It can be activated by many bacteria, leading to rapid depolymerization.

研究结果发现, 解聚细菌酶可看成截然不同的两类, 一类酶将高分子聚合物降解成二聚体, 另一类则把二聚体降解成单体。PHB生物降解的初步是膜表面的改变, 即表面水解, 从而导致表面-OH和~COOH数量的增加, 细菌开始繁殖, 生长速度取决于温度与 pH值, PHB终端降解成3一羟基丁酸, 它是人体血液的正常排谢物。

The results showed that the depolymerizing bacterial enzymes could be divided into two types: one type degraded the polymer into dimer, the other type degraded the dimer into monomer. The initial stage of PHB biodegradation is the change of membrane surface, that is, surface hydrolysis, which leads to the increase of the number of - oh and ~ COOH on the surface, and the bacteria begin to reproduce. The growth rate depends on the temperature and pH value. PHB terminal is degraded into 3-hydroxybutyric acid, which is the normal metabolite of human blood.

PHB主要用于一次性餐具、膜及医学应用等。英国某公司近期完善了发酵PHB的提纯方法, 基本开始生产PHB。目前有关一次性餐具厂家正试以PHB合成系统的遗传因子导入植物中, 以便得到微生物聚酯, 这一实验已获得初步成功。某公司用已取得技术, 即重组细胞技术, 生产一种聚羟基烷酸酯的降解材料, 此法较发酵法成本低。

PHB is mainly used in disposable tableware, membrane and medical applications. A company in the UK has recently improved the purification method of PHB fermentation and basically started to produce PHB. At present, the manufacturers of disposable tableware are trying to introduce the genetic factors of PHB synthesis system into plants in order to obtain microbial polyester. This experiment has been preliminarily successful. A company used the obtained technology, i.e. recombinant cell technology, to produce a kind of degradation material of polyhydroxyalkanoates. The cost of this method is lower than that of fermentation method.

一次性餐具厂家对生物降解研究工作的方向基本有两个∶

There are two directions for the research on biodegradation of disposable tableware manufacturers

（1）主要是和生物技术相结合, 合成出新的具有和天然大分子结构相似的高分子材料, 该过程需要大量人力、物力和时间的投入

(1) It is mainly combined with biotechnology to synthesize new polymer materials with similar structure to natural macromolecules, which requires a lot of manpower, material resources and time investment

（2）放在一次性餐具降解的可控制性上, 经处理以后, 一次性餐具则较快分解。处理操作应简单易行, 便于实施。如聚竣酸, 这类高分子在碱性环境中是稳定存在的, 可一旦放入中性或酸性环境中, 很快就显明地水解为单体。

(2) The emphasis is placed on the controllability of the degradation of disposable tableware. After treatment, disposable tableware decomposes rapidly. The treatment operation should be simple and easy to implement. For example, polyacid, which is stable in alkaline environment, can be hydrolyzed into monomers quickly and obviously once put into neutral or acidic environment.