Chair

Graham Swift
Rohm and Haas Company

*Invited Paper

SESSION Z1: INTRODUCTION TO DEGRADATION & TESTING
Chair: Graham Swift
Monday Morning, April 8
Nob Hill Ballroom

8:30 A.M. *Z1.1
THE BIODEGRADATION OF POLYMERS AND BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS, Samuel J. Huang, University of Connecticut, Institute of Materials Science, Storrs, CT.

9:30 A.M. BREAK

10:00 A.M. *Z1.2
STANDARD FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY DEGRADABLE POLYMERS, Ramani Narayan, Michigan State University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Lansing, MI.

11:00 A.M. Z1.3
STUDIES OF POLYMER BIODEGRADABILITY USING IN-LABORATORY SOIL AND COMPOST SIMULATIONS, Richard A. Gross, University of Massachusetts Lowell, NSF-Biodegradable Polymer Research Center, Lowell, MA; Stephen P. McCarthy, NSF-Biodegradable Polymer Research Center, Lowell, MA; and Richard Farrell, University of Massachusetts Lowell, NSF-Biodegradable Polymer Research Center, Lowell, MA.

11:30 A.M. Z1.4
ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY OF DEGRADATION OF OYSTER SHELL PROTEIN AND POLYASPARTATE, C. Steven Sikes, Frances Martin, University of South Alabama, Department of Biological Sciences, Mobile, AL.

11:00 A.M. POSTERS
Z1.5 A NEW BIODEGRADABLE SYSTEM BASED ON PLGA AND PHOSPHOLIPIDS FOR DRUG DELIVERY, S.H. Khan, M. Madiba and X.S. Wu, Long Island University, Department of Pharmaceutics, Brooklyn, NY.

Z1.6 DESTRUCTION OF POLYETHYLENE IN ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS BY SENSIBILIZATION ADDITIVES, B. Saidov, U. Gafurov, L. Kabisova, Z. Khamidova and N. Nemkova, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Z1.7 THE TERMINAL DECTRUCTION OF POLYVINILCHLORIDE WITH STABILIZING ADDITIONS, Bahodir Saidov, Ulmas Gafurov and Lyudmila Kabisova, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Z1.8 SOME SPATIAL METAL CONTAINING MONOMERS AS MODIFYING AGENTS FOR POLYSTYRENE, POLYMETHYLMETHACRYLATE AND POLYACRYLONITRILE, Natalia Bravaya, Anatoni Pomogalio, Academy of Sciences, Institute of Chemical Physics in Chemogolovka Russia, Moscow, Russia; Vladimir Makaskov, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry Siberian, Cluster Department, Lavrenlieve, Russia; and Vladimir Razumov, Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of New Energetical Problems of Chemical Physics, Photochemistry Department, Moscow, Russia.

SESSION Z1: INTRODUCTION TO
DEGRADATION & TESTING (continued)
Chair: Richard Gross
Monday Afternoon, April 8
Nob Hill Ballroom

1:30 P.M. Z1.9
ABIOTIC CONTROL OF POLYMER BIODEGRADATION, Gerald Scott, Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

2:00 P.M. Z1.10
OXIDATIVELY DEGRADABLE POLYOLEFINS AS CANDIDATES FOR COMPOSTABLE PLASTICS, Denise R. Rutherford, Industrial and Consumer Sector Research Laboratory, St. Paul, MN.

2:30 P.M. BREAK

3:00 P.M. Z1.11
HYDROLYTIC DEGRADATION OF POLY D,L-LACTIC ACID, Teresita Raquel Cuadrado, Roxana Ruseckaite and Maria Fernanda Gonzalez, Universida Nacional de Mar del Plata, Facultad de Ingenieria - INTEMA, Mar del Plata, Argentina.

3:30 P.M. Z1.12
STUDIES ON DEGRADATION OF POLYLACTIC ACID AND ITS COPOLYMERS IN COMPOST, Nobuyuki Kawashima, LACEA Business Development Department, Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals Inc., Chiyoda, China; Tadashi Yagi, Takeshi Irimajiri, Central Research Institute, Toxicological and Environmental Sciences Center, Chiba, Japan; Chojiro Higuchi and Masanobu Ajioka, Central Research Institute, Technical Research Laboratory, Kanagawa, Japan.

4:00 P.M. Z1.13
STRUCTURE-BIODEGRADABILITY RELATIONSHIPS OF POLYMERS, Maarten van der Zee, Jan H. Stoutjesdijk, Pieter A.A.W. van der Heijden and Dick De Wit, ATO-DLO (Agrotechnological Research Institute), Wageningen, Netherlands.

4:30 P.M. Z1.14
BIODEGRADABLE PACKAGING, RULES, REGULATIONS AND THE INTERNATIONAL, CONTEXT GATT (GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE) 1994 INCORPORATED IN THE 1994 AGREEMENT ON THE T.W.O., Bert Lemmes, ORCA, Brussels, Belgium.

SESSION Z2: NATURAL POLYMERS:
RENEWABLE RESOURCES
Chair: Sam Huang
Tuesday Morning, April 9
Nob Hill Ballroom

8:30 A.M. *Z2.1
OVERVIEW OF BIODEGRADABLE POLYMERS FROM RENEWABLE RESOURCES, David L. Kaplan, Army Natick Research and Development Center, Biotechnology Division, Natick, MA.

9:30 A.M. BREAK

10:00 A.M. Z2.2
BIOSYNTHESIS AND BIODEGRADATION OF MICROBIAL POLYESTERS, Steven S. Goodwin, R. Clinton Fuller and Robert W. Lenz, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.

10:30 A.M. Z2.3
NEW APPROACHES TOWARDS CONTROL OF END GROUP STRUCTURE, MOLECULAR WRIGHT AND REPEAT UNIT COMPOSITION OF MICROBIAL POLYESTERS, Richard A. Gross, Richard Ashby and Fengying Shi, University of Massachusetts Lowell, NSF-Biodegradable Polymer Research Center, Lowell, MA.

11:00 A.M. Z2.4
THE INFLUENCE OF DEGREE OF SUBSTITUTION ON BLEND MISCIBILITY AND BIODEGRADATION OF CELLULOSE ACETATE BLENDS, Charles M. Buchanan, Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Kingsport, TN.

11:30 A.M. Z2.5
FUNGAL BIODEGRADATION OF GRAFT COPOLYMERS FROM LIGNIN AND ETHENE MONOMERS, John J. Meister, NMIMT, Department of Chemistry, Socorro, NM; Oleg Milstein, Rolf Gersonde, Aloys Huttermann, University der Gottingen, Forsthotanisches Institute, Gottingen, Germany; and Meng-Jiu Chen, University of Detroit Mercy, Department of Chemistry, Detroit, MI.

SESSION Z2: NATURAL POLYMERS:
RENEWABLE RESOURCES (continued):
Chair: Ramani Narayan
Tuesday Afternoon, April 9
Nob Hill Ballroom

1:30 P.M. *Z2.6
STARCH-BASED POLYMER MATERIALS, J.L. Willett, USDA/ARS/NCAUR, Peoria, IL.

2:30 P.M. BREAK

3:00 P.M. Z2.7
DESIGN OF POLYMER BLENDS FOR BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS APPLICATION, Graham Chapman, NOVON International, Tonawanda, NY.

3:30 P.M. Z2.8
COMPATIBILITY OF THE COMPONENTS IN THE STARCH-POLYMER BLENDS AS POTENTIAL BIODEGRADABLE SYSTEMS, Anna J. Suvorova, Elena J. Trufanova, Ural State University, Department of Chemical, Ekaterinburg, Russia.

4:00 P.M. Z2.9
BIODEGRADATION OF STARCH-POLY(ß-HYDROXYBUTYRATE-CO-VALERATE)BLENDS IN NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS, Sued H. Imam, Ling Chen, Sherald H. Gordon, US Department of Agriculture, Biopolymer Research Unit, Peoria, IL; Randal L. Shogren, US Department of Agriculture, Plant POlymer Research Unit, Peoria, IL; and Richard V. Greene, US Department of Agriculture, Biopolymer Research Unit, Peoria, IL.

4:30 P.M. Z2.10
AMINO ACIDS AS PLASTICIZERS OF STARCH-BASED PLASTIC, Thomas M. Stein, Syed H. Imam, Randal L. Shogren, Sherald H. Gordon and Richard V. Greene, US Department of Agriculture, Biopolymer Research Unit, Peoria, IL.

SESSION Z3: WATER SOLUBLE DEGRADABLE POLYMERS
Chair: Steven Sikes
Wednesday Morning, April 10
Nob Hill Ballroom

8:30 A.M. Z3.1
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION OF POLY(ETHYLENEOXIDE), Darlene Back, Union Carbide Corporation, Research and Development Specialty Polymer, Bound Brook, NJ.

9:00 A.M. Z3.2
POLYMERIC DETERGENT ADDITIVES BASED ON GRAFTED STARCH, M. Kroner, A. Funhoff, W. Denzinger, G. Schornick, BASF Aktlengeselschaft, Germany.

9:30 A.M. BREAK

10:00 A.M. Z3.3
THERMAL POLY(ASPARTATES), A.P. Wheeler, Clemson University, Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson, SC; Daniel A. Batzel, Donlar Corporation, Bedford Park, IL; Charles A. Gooding, Clemson University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Clemson, SC; and Robert J. Ross, Donlar Corporation, Bedford Park, IL.

10:30 A.M. Z3.4
POLY(ASPARTIC ACID); A BIODEGRADABLE WATER-SOLUBLE POLYMER, Graham Swift, Michael B. Freeman and Kathryn Yocom, Rohm and Haas Company, Spring House, PA.

11:00 A.M. Z3.5
SYNTHESIS AND APPLICATION OF BIODEGRADABLE POLY(AMINO ACID) DERIVATIVES, Hiroaki Tamatani, Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc., Central Research Institute, Yokohama, Japan; Akinori Nagatomo, Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc., Omuta Research Institute, Omuta, Japan; Hosei Shinoda and Yukiko Harada, Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc., Central Research Institute, Yokohama, Japan.

11:30 A.M. Z3.6
BIODEGRATION OF DISTEARYLDIMETHYLAMMONIUM HALIDES (Cl, Br) BY MICROORGANISMS, Michael Thies, Henrich H. Paradies, Philip Steiger, Märkische Fachhochschule, Biotechnology and Physical Chemistry, Iserlohn, Germany; Shaun F. Clancy, Witco Corporation, Health and Environmental Affairs, Greenwich, CT.

SESSION Z4: NATURAL/SYNTHETIC POLYMERS
Chair: David Kaplan
Wednesday Afternoon, April 10
Nob Hill Ballroom

1:30 P.M. Z4.1
STARCH GRAFT POLY(METHYL ACRYLATE) LOOSE FILL FOAM-PREPARATION, PROPERTIES AND BIODEGRADATION, Liang Chen, Syed H. Iman, US Department of Agriculture, Biopolymer Research Unit, Peoria, IL; Don Fisk, Uni-Star Industries Ltd., Canton, IL; Paul D. Tatarka, R. Lee Cunningham, US Department of Agriculture, Food Physical Chemical Research Unit, Peoria, IL; Sherald H. Gordon and Richard V. Greene, US Department of Agriculture, Biopolymer Research Unit, Peoria, IL.

2:00 P.M. Z4.2
PROCESSING CHARACTERISTICS AND BIODEGRADABILITY OF POLYCAPROLACTONE, Daniel Goldberg, Union Carbide Corporation, SP&P, Bound Brook, NJ.

2:30 P.M. BREAK

3:00 P.M. Z4.3
POLY(3-HYDROXYALKANOATE) POLYMERS AND COPOLYMERS PREPARED VIA LACTONE POLYMERIZATION, Lee A. Schechtman, Procter and Gamble Company, Corporate Research Division, Cincinnati, OH.

3:30 P.M. Z4.4
USE OF POLYLACTIC ACID AS A BACTERIAL NUTRIENT SOURCE IN ACID MINE DRAINAGE TREATMENT SYSTEMS, Harry M. Edenborn, Sandra L. McSurdy and Craig C. Hustwit, U.S. Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh Research Center, Pittsburgh, PA.

4:00 P.M. Z4.5
IMPROVING THE PROPERTIES OF POLY(LACTIC ACID)(PLA) TO MAKE IT COMMERCIALLY USEFUL AT LARGE SCALE, Patrick R. Gruber, Cargill, Incorporated, EcoPLA Business Unit, Minneapolis, MN.

4:30 P.M. Z4.6
CHARACTERISTICS OF POLY(L-LACTIDE) FILMS AND FIBERS, Eiichi Ozeki, Shimadzu Corporation, New Business Development, Kyoto, Japan.


The following exhibitors have identified their products and services as directly related to your research:

Academic Press
American Institute of Physics
Elsevier Science, Inc.
IOP Publishing, Inc.
Kluwer Academic Publishers
Philips Semiconductors/Materials Analysis Group

See page 6 for a complete list of exhibitors.