Ecolyte photodegradable plastics

Major suppliers of biodegradable agents include Ampacet Corp. and Fully Compounded Plastics Inc. Major suppliers of photodegradable agents include the above and Colortech Inc., Ecolyte Atlantic Inc., and Polymer Materials Inc. 

ECOLYTE PE passes this test and other tests after photodegradation. It is not possible by this test to determine whether the plastic component of ECOSTAR is biodegradable or not because the micro-organisms attack the starch. 

Ecolyte plastics are made by copolymerizing ketone-containing comonomers in small amounts with ethylene, styrene, or other monomers used in the manufacture of commercial plastics. The process is covered by a number of patents [17]. Condensation polymers such as nylon and polyesters can also be made photodegradable by this method [18]. It is even possible with polymers such as poly(vinyl chloride) [19] and poly(acrylonitrile) [20] which normally do not degrade by chain scission. Poly(ethylene... 

Potential uses for photodegradable polymers, such as ethylene-carbon monoxide and Ecolyte polystyrene and poly(ethylene terephthalate), will exist wherever plastics littering occurs. It has been estimated that almost a billion pounds of plastics find their way into the world s waterways annually [35]. Because E-CO and foamed plastics float and are photodegradable when in water, there should be commercial opportunities for them in marine packaging, fishing gear, and similar applications. 

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