{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T05:23:39Z","timestamp":1787203419152,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787011200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Xinjiang Tianshan Talent Cultivation Program Project","award":["2022TSYCCY0009"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022TSYCCY0009"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["52173063"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["52173063"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["52173063"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["52173063"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012421","name":"Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012421","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Lignin is a promising bio-based filler for poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), yet its true contribution to biodegradation remains unclear\u2014most studies rely on weight loss alone, neglecting CO2 mineralization and lignin\u2019s antibacterial activity. Here, lignin\/PBAT composites with 1 wt% (LP-1) and 3 wt% (LP-2) lignin are assessed under composting conditions using both weight loss and mineralization rate. Lignin exhibits a dual role: it promotes hydrolytic weight loss (18.3% and 28.6% for LP-1 and LP-2 at 40 days), but significantly inhibits ultimate mineralization (one-year mineralization: 65.71% for pure PBAT vs. 48.74% and 29.53% for LP-1 and LP-2). A negative initial mineralization rate suggests transient antibacterial activity from released phenolic compounds. Lignin increases crystallization temperature (48.4 \u2192 92.6 \u00b0C) and Tg (\u221228.5 \u2192 49.1 \u00b0C), with 1% loading largely preserving mechanical properties. These findings demonstrate that weight loss alone is insufficient to assess degradation; mineralization must be included. Appropriate lignin loading enables balanced performance and degradation controllability, offering new insights into lifecycle assessment of green composites.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym18162010","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T10:22:52Z","timestamp":1787048572000},"page":"2010","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Assessing the Biodegradation of Lignin\/PBAT Composites: A Comparative Study of Weight Loss and Mineralization"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Yanyan","family":"Dong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Residual Pollution in Agricultural Film, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shaochuang","family":"Su","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Engineering Research Center of Engineering and Ecological Plastics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hong","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Engineering Research Center of Engineering and Ecological Plastics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zixi","family":"Han","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory for Prevention and Control of Residual Pollution in Agricultural Film, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0798-2065","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dan","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Engineering Research Center of Engineering and Ecological Plastics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaoshuai","family":"Han","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Materials Science and Technology, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8972-9559","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mingqiang","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Xinjiang Sizhong Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Wujiaqu 831300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fangda","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing 100091, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"24770","article-title":"An overview on properties and applications of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)\u2013PBAT based composites","volume":"59","author":"Ferreira","year":"2017","journal-title":"Polym. 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