Degradability and biodegradability of plastic erosion control products

摘要

Biodegradable and degradable erosion control products are a hot industry topic. More manufacturers are producing them, and on some projects environmental or safety concerns make them a necessity. Products requiring degradability or biodegradability have unique and distinct properties and should be used for clearly identified and suitable purposes. Many of these requirements can be solved using existing and new plastic resin technologies.Biodegradable plastics are being adopted in many industries and in many cases they are being used in conjunction with existing resin technology. For the erosion control industry, biodegradable plastics are a high opportunity application which has yet to develop. Degradable plastics are currently being used and can be found in applications such as erosion control blankets that stabilize excavated soil, in which natural vegetation is expected to take over and hold the soil in place after the strength of the blanket has degraded.The use of degradable plastic products can serve short term product needs while eliminating the long term residual effects after the erosion control blanket is no longer required. These innovations to the performance of EC blankets employ advanced polymer technologies which can resolve the concerns conventional netting currently faces.This paper will explore the definition of degradability and biodegradability, helping to understand degradation conditions and methods of the following plastic resin technologies: UV-degradables (photo-degradables), oxo-degradables and biodegradables. We will discuss how to achieve the short term benefits of erosion control product design with the long term benefits of degraded plastic components.