김민아 (가천대학교 바이오나노융합소재 핵심연구지원센터)

한상윤 (가천대학교 바이오나노융합소재 핵심연구지원센터)

김민아 (가천대학교 바이오나노융합소재 핵심연구지원센터)

장귀주 (가천대학교 화학과)

임고은 (가천대학교 화학과)

한상윤 (가천대학교 바이오나노융합소재 핵심연구지원센터)

As environmental pollution from microplastics becomes increasingly severe, biodegradable plastics decomposable by microorganisms are gaining attention. However, each type of bioplastic degrades only under specific conditions, requiring dedicated collection systems and controlled composting facilities. Incomplete degradation may lead to microplastic fragments that adversely affect aquatic life, soil ecosystems, and human health—sometimes more severely than conventional plastics. Thus, accurate evaluation of their environmental fate is essential. In this study, we examined alkoxide transesterification as a simple and rapid MALDI-TOF MS characterization for three common biodegradable plastics—poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB), polybutylene succinate (PBS), and polycaprolactone (PCL). This chemical depolymerization cleaves ester bonds in the polymer backbone under mild conditions, without high temperatures or long reaction times, yielding low-molecular-weight oligomers (<3 kDa) within the optimal detection range of MALDI-TOF MS. We explored to optimize the conditions using various alkoxide reagents. The results yielded faster and more reliable analysis than conventional techniques commonly used for biodegradable plastics, such as SEM, TEM, NMR, respirometric tests, and gravimetric assays. Moreover, it enables identification of specific types of microplastics extracted from environmental samples such as freshwater and soil.