Abstract
Natural polymers, including cellulose, lignin, or collagen, are biodegradable. This is a great chance for the world in the time-perspective. In their lack, the world was supposed to be already collapsed for a long time under a huge amount of wastes. Biodegradation is due to the insects and microorganisms like bacteria or fungi. For them natural polymers are nutrients. Water, oxygen, polluting gases from the atmosphere, acids (from soil in the case of buried objects or those produced into the paper during its aging), temperature, and light are other aggressive agents inducing structural modification. The mentioned physical and chemical factors may independently act and/or synergistically interfere in biodegradation.
Notes
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