Plastic is one of the most demanded materials on the planet, and the increasing consumption of which contributes to the accumulation of significant amounts of waste based on it. For this reason, a new approach to the development of these materials has been formed: the production of polymers with constant operational characteristics during the period of consumption and capable of then being destroyed under the influence of environmental factors and being involved in the metabolic processes of natural biosystems. The paper outlines the prerequisites for the development of the field of creating biodegradable composite materials, as well as the main technical solutions for obtaining such polymeric materials. The main current solutions for reducing and regulating the degradation time of polymer materials are presented. The most promising ways of further development of the field of bioplastics production are described. Common types of polymers based on renewable raw materials, composites with their use, and modified materials from natural and synthetic polymers are considered.

A significant increase in the production of plastic materials and the expansion of their areas of application contributed to the accumulation of a large amount of waste of polymeric materials. Most of the polymer composition is made up of plasticizers. Phthalate plasticizers have been recognized as potentially hazardous to humans and the environment due to the long period of their biodegradation and the formation of persistent toxic metabolites. It is known that the industrial plasticizer dioctyl adipate is characterized by reduced toxicity and a short biodegradation period. The paper describes the synthesis of a number of new asymmetric esters based on adipic acid and ethoxylated butanol by azeotropic esterification. The receipt of the products was confirmed by IR spectra. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized compounds were investigated. The glass transition temperatures of PVC composites plasticized with alkyl butoxyethyl adipates were determined using DSC analysis. The ecological safety of esters was assessed by the phytotesting method. Samples of adipates were tested for fungal resistance, and the process of their biodegradation in soil was also studied. It is shown that the synthesized esters have good plasticizing properties and are environmentally safe. When utilized under natural conditions, they can serve as a potential source of carbon for soil microorganisms and do not form stable toxic metabolites; therefore, they are not able to accumulate in nature; when the plasticizers under study are disposed of in the soil, toxic substances do not enter.

The growing anthropogenic load on the lithosphere is currently characterized by the alienation of huge areas for solid domestic waste. One of the most common pollutants is traditional plastics with a degradation period of over 100 years. In connection with the increasing environmental requirements, polymer materials, along with a high set of technological and operational parameters, must be environmentally friendly and biodegradable. The development of polymer composite materials that undergo accelerated physicochemical and biological changes in the natural environment due to the introduction of biodegradable additives is one of the potential methods for processing synthetic materials and ensures the release of significant areas of fertile soils and lands from the steadily increasing amount of polymer waste. The use of adipic acid esters as PVC plasticizers contributes to the production of biodegradable composites. The article describes a method for obtaining new esters of adipic acid, presents the results of studying their properties for practical use in PVC composites, and assesses the economic efficiency of preventing damage to the environment when using them.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) belongs to the most widely used group of thermoplastics. Most of the market for PVC products belongs to plasticized compositions. Plasticizers are the most demanded additives in the polymer industry. Environmental problems and the identified toxicity of the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) stimulate the restriction of its use and contribute to the development of alternative plasticizers. As a possible replacement for phthalates, esters of dicarboxylic acids are known to provide reduced toxicity and high frost resistance to the resulting compositions. In this regard, esters of dicarboxylic acids and ethoxylated alcohols were obtained and their compatibility with polyvinyl chloride was investigated. The plasticizing effect of the esters obtained was evaluated. The thermomechanical characteristics of PVC compositions containing the developed plasticizers were studied, the glass transition temperature was determined, and the areas of the glassy and highly elastic state of the plastics were identified. It was shown that the chemical structure of dicarboxylate used as a plasticizer determines the important technological and operational characteristics of the PVC plastics obtained. Dibutoxyethyl sebacate (DBES) has the best plasticizing effect among the synthesized esters. The expansion of the highly elastic state area for PVC samples containing this ester exceeded the industrial plasticizers DEHP and di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DOA). The indicators of the critical temperature of dissolution of PVC in the esters under study suggest ensuring their low migration from PVC plastics.

The purpose of this work is the synthesis of adipic acid ester and the study of the possibility of its use as a PVC plasticizer. The resulting butyl phenoxyethyl adipate was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The compatibility, effectiveness and plasticizing effect of butyl phenoxyethyl adipate in comparison with dioctylphthalate (DOP) were determined. The new environmentally friendly plasticizer has good compatibility with PVC and high thermal stability. The effectiveness of the plasticizing action of adipate based on the glass-transition temperature was 132.2 °C in relation to pure PVC and 7.7 °C in comparison to compounds based on DOP. An increase in the fluidity of the melt of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) compounds in the temperature range of 160–205 °C by 19–50% confirms a decrease in the energy intensity of the processes of manufacturing and the processing of polymer materials containing a new additive.