Plastics degradable, compostability

Photodegradable plastics degrade after prolonged exposure to sunlight, so will not degrade if buried in a landfill, a compost heap, or other dark environment, or if heavily overprinted. Oxo-biodegradable... 

Yang HS, Yoon JS, Kim MN (2005) Dependence of biodegradability of plastics in compost on the shape of specimens. Polym Degrad Stab 87 131-135 Yasuniwa M, Tsubakihara S, Satou T, lura K (2005) Multiple melting behavior of poly(butylene succinate).II. Thermal analysis of isothermal crystallization and melting process. J Polym Sci B Polym Phys 43 2039-2047... 

The properties in this specification are those required to determine if plastics and products made from plastics will compost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate comparable to known compostable materials. Further, the properties in the specification are required to assure that the degradation of these materials will not diminish the value or utility of the compost resulting from the composting process. 

Degli-Innocenti F., Bellia G., Tosin M., Kapanen A., Itavaara M. Detection of toxicity released by biodegradable plastics after composting in activated vermiculite, Polym. Degrad. Stab. 73 (2001) 101. 

Greene, J. (2008) To degrade or not to degrade compostable plastics go under the microscope. Resource Recycling, 27 28-36. 

After 21 days, the fermentation boxes are washed with fresh air and the fermentation stops. The gates are opened and the digestate is taken out by front end loaders. At this stage, the partially degraded compostable plastic bags are already difficult to... 

Plastic degradation by-products, such as dyes, plasticizers, or catalyst residues, in landfills or compost can potentially migrate to groundwater and surface water bodies... 

Table 7A. Effects of degraded plastics in compost on survival of daphnia...

The evaluations indicated in the side-branches of Fig. 5 have a different purpose. They are intended to show from a scientific standpoint that the oxidation products formed from degradable polyolefins in the natural environment are bioassimilated by soil microorganisms. It would be ideal to take samples of plastics from compost at intervals to carry out biometric (carbon dioxide formation) tests and to measure mass-loss due to bioerosion of the plastic. However, this is a difficult procedure since CO2 formation is concomitant with mass loss during composting and it is difficult to achieve even an approximate mass balance. 

Biometric test for the mineralisation of degradable plastics in compost. ... 

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