Screening of the Degradation of Plastic Material in a Composting Medium

As an alternative in polymer waste utilization, the biodegradation of plastic waste is increasingly under discussion. This concept depends on the polymer degradation by the action of micro-organisms. Focus of attention is the ability of the waste materials to be sufficiently degradable when exposed to the biological attack. A major subject of discussion is thus is a behavior of the polymeric materials in an aerobic and unaerobic medium and how to assess the biodegradation. The following article describes a screening test for the degradability of polymers and plastic materials and recording the degradation history.