Industrial composting is carried out on specific platforms under controlled conditions, particularly in terms of temperature (60-70°C) and humidity. The NF EN 13432:2000 standard allows the certification of the capacity of packaging to biodegrade under these specific conditions. Several criteria must be respected such as composition, capacity to disintegrate and biodegrade rapidly as well as … Lire la suite
Home composting is carried out at home and therefore by definition in poorly controlled conditions and at a lower temperature (20 – 30 °C) than industrial composting. It can be carried out directly at home and is governed by the NF 51-800: 2015 standard, which attests to the capacity of materials, packaging or other materials … Lire la suite
Composting corresponds to the realisation of biodegradation under controlled conditions, notably in terms of temperature, and which takes place in an aerobic environment (= presence of oxygen). This biodegradation takes place in two steps: first the organic compounds will decompose and then they will be assimilated by micro-organisms. During this process, the organic compounds are … Lire la suite
The term bioplastic refers to polymers, especially thermoplastics, which can be either biobased, biodegradable or both. The relationship between polymer origin and end-of-life properties is by no means automatic. There are, for example polymers derived from biomass and biodegradable under different conditions (PLA, PHA, PBS, etc.); polymers derived from biomass but not biodegradable (PE, PET, … Lire la suite
Biodegradation is a decomposition process of organic material with the help of micro-organisms (bacteria, algae, fungi etc.) which results in residues in the form of water, CO2 and/or methane which are non-toxic for the environment. The ability of a polymer to biodegrade depends on its chemical structure and is not related to the resource used … Lire la suite
This biodegradation process must be carried out without any negative consequences for the environment. Biodegradation conditions such as pH, temperature or humidity are not controlled, as is it the case in a compost. A soil biodegradable plastic has the advantage to be degraded in the place of its application. The speed with which a … Lire la suite
However, a plastic may be biodegradable in seawater but not in freshwater, and vice versa. It is important not to confuse biodegradability with water solubility, which are two different processes. The main advantage of using biodegradable polymers in water is to limit plastic pollution in rivers, seas or streams.
To use this flour, it can first be reacted with a plasticizer (e.g. glycerol): we then obtain a so-called plasticized starch, which gives it a thermoplastic behaviour that makes it easier to process with plastics processing equipment (extruder, injection press, etc.). This plasticized starch is generally used in a mixture with biodegradable polyesters (PBAT, PBS, … Lire la suite
Starch bases are compounds with one or more biopolyesters as the main matrix mixed with starch (plasticised or not). The incorporation rate of starch is generally between 30 and 50 % depending on the formulation. The interest of these materials lies in the combination of the good mechanical and processing properties of polyesters, with the … Lire la suite
It is a compound that is added to polymers in order to improve their physical, chemical properties and processing. Above 5 % incorporation, the compound is considered as an additive (fillers, plasticisers, etc.), below 5 % incorporation, it is called an adjuvant (colouring agents, processing aids, anti-UV, etc.).