BIODEGRADABILITY | TESTING
needs. For example, a revision to EN13432 is underway that aims to add test methods and criteria for anaerobic digestion, which is different from industrial composting environments in that it takes place in a closed system without oxygen. While this process has been in use in Europe for several decades, having energy recovery as an added value over industrial composting, its use has been growing, explained Sam Deconinck, New Business Development Director at Normec OWS, who is the project leader of two test method developments at the ISO level, covering the determination of the degree of biodegradation and disintegration under anaerobic digestion conditions. Methods related to marine biodegradation are also under development, such as ISO 18957 for determining aerobic biodegradation of plastic materials exposed to seawater under accelerated conditions in the lab. Another area of interest, said Deconinck, is developing test methods for products that are intended to last in the open environment for the duration of the product’s functional life but then need to biodegrade completely to minimize
environmental impact. Examples include geotex- tiles intended to last ten years, as well as tree guards, fishing nets, and other applications. He noted that current research is looking at how to handle “biodegradation testing for these types of ‘durable’ products, aiming at generating data within months rather than years”.
Acceleration and prediction Although standard tests used for certification require a set amount of time and cannot be accelerated, testing service providers have been developing accelerated test methods that could be used for screening tests in early development. Normec OWS launched its High-Throughput
Pre-Screening platform last year after completing pilot testing with partners, and it is being used to speed up development, said Deconinck. One pre-screening test uses proprietary technology to accelerate biodegradation and predict the biodeg- radation potential of products. A second, miniatur- ized, high-throughput test enables multiple samples to be tested under different conditions simultaneously. These methods can be used to compare existing formulas to biodegradation
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