Fundamental Principles and Concepts of Biodegradability - Sorting through the facts, hypes, and claims of biodegradable products in the marketplace

摘要

The take home message is very simple-Biodegradability is an end-of-life option for single use disposable, packaging, and consumer products that harnesses microbes to completely utilize the carbon substrate and remove it from the environmental compartment — entering into the microbial food chain. However, biodegradability must be defined and constrained by the following elements:1. the disposal system - composting, anaerobic digestor, soil, marine2. Time required for complete microbial utilization in the selected disposal environment - short defined time frame, and in the case of composting the time frame is defined as 180 days or less.