Cotton cellulose with different % NaOH treatments and graft copolymers of cellulose prepared with vinyl acetate (AV) and methyl acrylate (MA), and Ce(IV) ion as an initiator were submitted to biodegradation conditions. Cellulose is a biopolymer consisting solely of glucose units, and, consequently, is also easily biodegradable. Nevertheless, modified cellulose, for example, by graft copolymerization, shows an increased resistance to biodegradation. The aim of this work was to study by calorimetric and dynamic-mechanical analysis how the chemical modification of cellulose affects its biodegradability. From the obtained results some information has also been deduced about the composition and mechanical behavior of the vinylic grafted chains. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.