OXO-BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS

What are Oxo-biodegradable plastics?

OBP's are conventional plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene to which is added a proprietary mixture that accelerates the breakdown of the chemical structure of the plastic.  These plastics are the main ones used in a variety of disposable packaging applications.  The resultant breakdown products are then amenable to conversion by micro-organisms, for which these products are an energy source of food, into carbon dioxide and water; thereby returning otherwise intractable plastics to the ecosystem.

How does it work?     

It involves the reaction of the plastic with oxygen in the air to form different molecules that are much smaller than the original plastic and molecules that can be wetted by water (water forms beads on the original plastic).  In conventional plastics without the additive package, this degradation reaction is very slow-taking many years.  The various oxo-biodegradable additives accelerate or catalyze this reaction.

Do OBP's actually biodegrade?                   

Yes; independent third party testing and field trials in several countries have proven that they do.  Oxidative degradation of d2w® polyethylene and polypropylene films causes a breakdown of these plastics.  The molecular chains become shorter and water 'wettable' permitting a formation of bio-film on the surface of the plastics which allows microbial deterioration to take over.  The overall degradation process will have resulted in the creation of some H²O, some CO², and a small amount of biomass.

When oxo-biodegradable packaging degrades doesn't it just create millions of smaller pieces of plastic to pollute the ecosystem?

No.  It does disintegrate but the smaller pieces have a completely different chemical structure that makes them amenable to rapid consumption by naturally occurring micro-organisms.

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