Friday, December 3, 2010

What is the difference between Degradable, Biodegradable and Oxo-biodegradable plastic?

Degradable Plastic: A plastic designed to undergo a significant change in its chemical structure under specific environmental conditions. This change results in a classification determined by the loss of some properties that may vary as measured by standard test methods appropriate to the plastic and the application in a period of time.
 
Biodegradable Plastic: A degradable plastic in which the degradation results from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae.
 
Oxo-biodegradable Plastic: A two-stage process in which plastic is first converted by reaction with oxygen to molecular fragments that are water wettable. Second, these smaller oxidized molecules are biodegraded and converted into carbon dioxide, water and biomass, by microorganisms. There are 2 main types of biodegradable plastics: oxo-biodegradable and hydro-biodegradable. Both will first undergo chemical degradation by oxidation and hydrolysis for oxo- and hydro-biodegradable plastics respectively. This results in their physical disintegration and a drastic reduction in their molecular weights. These smaller, lower molecular weight fragments are then amenable to biodegradation by microbes.

Hydro-biodegradable plastics tend to degrade and biodegrade somewhat faster than oxo-biodegradables but the end result is the same – both plastics are converted to carbon dioxide, water and biomass. Oxo-biodegradable plastics are generally less expensive, possess better physical properties and are easier to process on current plastic processing equipment than hydro-biodegradable plastics.

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