Visit Us at http://www.biosphereplastic.com Biodegradable plastics myth or reality Is biodegradable plastics myth or reality?

This is a question that lingers in the minds of anyone who has felt the wrath of synthetic plastic or anyone who has used a biodegradable plastic without seeing its sign of breaking down. A plastic can be called biodegradable if it can be broken down by microorganisms in the presence of oxygen into water, carbon dioxide and biomass. Biodegradability is a testable element standards have been developed to define and set criteria of what can be classified as biodegradable. Organizations have been formed to regulate the production, testing and labeling of biodegradable plastics. The organizations manage the standards and do the labeling of products that have met the standards. There are still many issues that cast doubt if biodegradable plastics are a myth or reality. What other plastics exist and where is the place of biodegradable plastics If you believe that the biodegradable plastic could be myth or reality, it means that other forms of plastics exist. Biodegradable plastic have been with us for a long time. The only thing that happened is that synthetic oil based plastics were developed which were cheaper to produce and durable. The strength or the oil based plastics cannot be matched to any kind of plastic that existed before. These facts are what shifted development to synthetic oil based products. Synthetic oil based products have an advantage of durability; it is this durability which again became the downfall of the synthetic plastics. Oil based plastics will stay in the environment for many decades after they have been disposed over. During this many years when the plastic is at the disposal of nature, the plastics become a health hazard and environmental hazard, causing diseases and deaths to both land and sea animals. Animals sometimes confuse the plastics for food or they consume the plastic accidentally when they are feeding which cause a health complication or deaths What is biodegradable plastic? A biodegradable plastic is one that will decompose in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions into water, carbon dioxide and biomass. Biodegradable plastics are plastics that have met the ASTM D6868 standard of biodegradability. This standard covers all plastics and plastic products that are produced to be composted in municipal and aerobic composting facilities. The standard spells out what is to be labeled as compostable can satisfactorily biodegrade in the same rate as natural compostable materials. The standard does not state the materials used to make the biodegradable plastic but it outlines the characteristics of what a biodegradable plastic has to exhibit; it must have suitable disintegration while composting, proper levels of inherent biodegradation and the biomass should have the ability to support growth with no adverse effects on the soil or plants. Before the plastic can be labeled as biodegradable, it is passed through laboratory testing which simulate aerobic and

anaerobic conditions. An aerobic condition is an environment that has both air and water while anaerobic environment lacks air. Both environments have microorganisms which are the main agents of biodegradation. The standard spells out the requirements a test lab has to meet to be used for testing biodegradability. Any biodegradable plastic that has done and passed the test is labeled as biodegradable, the period of biodegradation ranges from two month to a maximum of six months. Biodegradable plastics should be well differentiated from compostable plastics. Compostable plastics are defined under ASTM D6400. A compostable plastic can only biodegrade in and industrial composting facility. If the material is exposed to either aerobic or anaerobic conditions, it will exhibit similar characteristic as those present in synthetic plastics. If the biodegradable plastics are not exposed to conditions that they can biodegrade in, then the plastic will not biodegrade. The reason is not on biodegradable capabilities of the plastic but on the conditions under which you have exposed the plastic. Remember that plastic that is meant to biodegrade in anaerobic conditions may fail to biodegrade in aerobic conditions. Myths and realities of biodegradable plastics The common myth is that biodegradable plastics will always biodegrade. The myth is not true because the plastics cannot biodegrade on their own. The plastic has conditions which will help them biodegrade. When biodegrading, you must separate compostable plastics from biodegradable plastics. When the plastic enter into the water stream and the sewerage system, they will cause the same harm as exhibited by the synthetic plastic. The only difference is that the biodegradable plastic will at the end biodegrade and so will the synthetic plastic. The difference is on the duration it will take the biodegradable plastic to decompose which is less than six months as compared to the synthetic plastic which will take several decades to get out of the system. The second myth is that biodegradable plastics are not durable. Biodegradable plastics are created from several sources which vary their strength. The plastics also have a shelf life after which they will begin to biodegrade. Biodegradable plastics are modified agricultural products or petrochemicals which have additives added to them. The plastics are made to have the same strength as that of the traditional synthetic plastics. That means that the strength of the biodegradable plastic is so much similar to the strength of the traditional synthetic plastics. The only difference is on the shelf life of either of the plastics. The third myth is that biodegradable plastic pose no health or environmental hazard. Biodegradable plastics will not cause a health hazard if properly disposed. If the plastics are not disposed properly, they will be a hazard until the time they biodegrade. Users of the plastics should be given proper disposal avenues. The plastics should not be thrown out aimlessly. If a compostable plastic is mixed with biodegradable plastic, the biodegradable plastics will decompose and leave the

compostable plastic intact. In conclusion Biodegradable plastics are with us. Besides usage in packaging and storage, the plastics are now popular in agriculture for making composting bags, mulch films and plant pots among other uses. The plastics are also used in the medical fields for making sutures, drug delivery systems and medical implants. The reason for their new use is that the plastics are real and biodegradable. If you are still unsure if biodegradable plastics are myth or reality, get hold of one and experiment with it.