Résumé
In order to face the problem of the inadequate end of life management of petroleum-based plastic packaging, bioplastics has been developed and are currently used in the food packaging industry. As a result, the global market for bioplastics continues to expand rapidly especially for food packaging since selective biowaste collection is mandatory since January 2024. Mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) emerges as a promising approach to biodegrade food packaging and biowastes and simultaneously generate biogas. Some food packaging materials degrade slowly in mesophilic condition and the application of a pretreatment can be an option to improve their biodegradability. In this study, alkaline pretreatment using KOH was explored to improve biomethane potential (BMP) and biodegradability of some food packaging items.The composition analysis of 3 coffee capsules (CC) and 2 plastics bags (PB) was conducted using a combination of TGA and 1H NMR. These items were composed of various polymers including PLA, PBAT, PBS, PHBV and Starch. Subsequently, thermo-chemical pretreatment was applied to these items using a KOH solution to solubilize the plastics and facilitate breakdown. The pretreated items underwent mesophilic AD to assess the impact on biodegradability and BMP compared to untreated items.2 PB and 3 CC of different compositions were pretreated to reach a significant solubilization for most items. The pretreatment led to a hydrolysis of the polymers presents in the items thus enhancing the biodegradability and the BMP of most pretreated items.The pretreatment of commercial items significantly improved the biodegradation and biomethane potential (BMP) in mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) of food packaging items composed of PLA, PBAT, PBS, PHBV, and starch. This versatile and adaptable pretreatment approach holds promise as a solution to the challenge of food packaging waste, besides improving biowastes collection and reducing environmental pollution from packaging waste.