Saturday, 8 September 2012

Plastic Degradation Additives fail to meet EU Compostablility standard

 Dr. Mario Malinconico, Research Director, Institute of Polymer Chemistry and Technology (Italy) reviewed ways of making polyolefins degradable and described the two main classes of additives as organo-metallic complexes  and organoleptic organic colloids.  These were compounded into masterbatches for blending prior to extrusion and would induce UV or thermal depolymerisation.  Starch polyolefin blends were also mentioned and the key point was that none of the resulting films were biodegradable.  They just fragmented in composting and the fragments caused problems. They failed to meet EU standards for compostability and there is as yet no EU certification of oxo/UV degradation.


(from the Biopolymer World Conference, Venice, April 2012)

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