Plastic transformation industries can use Plasbio formulations with their same usual equipment.

Simple comparative lab samples injected on the same press by a leading Canadian industry.

DATA PLASBIO PPML 6500, 6500 C

Microbial biodegradation of the PPML series has been tested by PIRA International, the leading independent center for research for the paper packaging, printing and publishing industries. Two series of tests were carried out, soil burial and mineralisation with a municipal sewage sludge culture.

Films of PPML (25 µm) were buried in soil (moisture content 30 %) for 16 days and the physical properties assessed daily. Figures 1 and 2 represent the elongation and tensile strength of the film over this period.

Figure 1 shows the gradual loss of tensile strength of the samples on soil burial, a more dramatic loss of properties is shown in figure 2. After seven days burial the elongation at break had dropped from 700 % to less than 10 %. All of the samples showed considerable biological fouling within five days and after sixteen days it was impossible to take further tensile measurements as the samples were so heavily degraded.

A series of test to evaluate the levels of aerobic degradation (ASTM D5209-91) were conducted on PPML in powdered form. Samples were inoculated with activated sewage sludge and degraded by the bacteria present. The CO₂ evolved from this process was monitored over a period of 85 days. Figure 3 depicts the level of CO₂ evolved as a percentage of the theoretical value for PPML, polyethylene and sodium benzoate (control).