Question

Which of the following is a biodegradable polymer?
A) Polythene
B) Bakelite
C) PHBV
D) PVC

Answer 1

The polymers are substances which are made up of repeating units of monomers, and they usually have high molecular mass. Biodegradable polymers are the ones which have a tendency to decompose naturally in its natural by-products like water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen etc.

Complete answer:
Biodegradable polymers are the ones which could break down to the most reduced form of those elements, from which the polymers are made up of. The products formed after complete decomposition of polymers are gases like carbon dioxide and nitrogen, along with other natural by-products namely biomass, water and inorganic cells.
Now if we consider the following question, it asks which of the options which are provided to us, are biodegradable polymer.
If we consider the first option, polythene, we know that the plastic is one of the major causes of environmental degradation because of its non-biodegradable nature. It contains two carbons attached to each other through double bond, as in ethene as a monomer. So this option is not correct.
Now the next option is Bakelite which is also non-biodegradable but it has a number of because of its high resistance to heat, electricity and chemical reaction. So, it does not decompose into its final products naturally and so it is non-biodegradable. So, option B, would also be inappropriate.
Next is PHBV, or Poly($3-$ hydroxybutyrate-co- $3-$ hydroxyvalerate), is a type of polymer which is biodegradable, biocompatible and non-toxic plastic which is naturally produced by the bacteria and it is known to be a good alternative to many of the non-biodegradable synthetic polymers. So this option would be the correct one.
Lastly if we look at the last option, PVC which is also called polyvinyl chloride which is the most commonly used synthetic plastic polymer which is widely produced across the world. It has various properties which makes it durable and easy to use for electrical purposes. And it is non-biodegradable. So this is not the correct option.
Hence the correct answer would be option C.

Note: Polythene, Bakelite and PVC are non-biodegradable polymers which has various range of application is industry and household, and so they are still in use in spite of being a threat to the environment because of its non-biodegradable nature.While on the other hand PHBV is a biodegradable polymer, which is also biocompatible and nontoxic, and can be decomposed to its most reduced form of by-products.