20.500.12556/DiRROS-31507 Soil and enzyme-driven degradation mechanisms of alginate- and chitosan-based biocomposite films We prepared biocomposite films based on alginate (A) and chitosan (Ch) reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) or acetylated CNC (mCNC). Their behaviour in native forest soil was evaluated using two set-ups: film on top of soil (TOP) and film between two soil layers (MID). Under the tested conditions, all films reached complete disappearance, with the TOP set-up degrading notably slower (ca. 80–100 days) than the MID set-up (ca. 30 days). Ch-based films disappeared faster than A-based films in the TOP set-up. To obtain mechanistic insight, the films were exposed in vitro to four soil-associated enzymes: lipase (Lip), cellulase (Cel), laccase (Lac), and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). Lip and Cel produced the highest release of reducing sugars, whereas Lac and ADH showed only minor effects. ATR-FTIR analysis of residual chitosan-based films showed spectral changes consistent with chemical modification/depolymerization, but not direct proof of specific bond cleavage. Finally, the potential phytotoxicity of degradation products was assessed using barley seeds, but no major inhibitory effect on germination or growth was observed. Overall, the results support the environmental disappearance and enzymatic susceptibility of these biocomposite films, while also highlighting the qualitative nature of the soil assay and the need for future mineralization-focused studies. biocomposite films chitosan alginate biodegradation enzymatic depolymerization plant toxicity kemijska tehnologija biokompoziti razgradnja fitotoksičnost true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Neznano 2026-08-04 12:35:42 2026-08-04 12:35:55 2026-08-05 03:48:57 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Opis vira z dne 27. 7. 2026; str. 1-11 [article no.] 101166 Vol. 14 June 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-06-01 66 2666-8939 10.1016/j.carpta.2026.101166 286057987 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666893926000836? 1 3fd162f9-8ff0-11f1-af5a-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=48824 RAZ_Cajnko_Misa_Mojca_2026.pdf RAZ_Cajnko_Misa_Mojca_2026.pdf 1 7BC2FBD208C5F0768DD3C23606C5C9FC 5cb355c84c86c8c09474acbb291c9cf38ea30f22055cc86727e9643073f85f93 a3b6456f-8ff0-11f1-af5a-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=48825 Kemijski inštitut 0 0 0