A new respirometric test method simulating soil conditions for determining biopolymer biodegradation and for recovering residue and biodegradation products
Détermination de la biodégradabilité des matériaux polymères par une nouvelle méthodes simulant les conditions de sols et permettant de doser les résidus de dégradations
Résumé
A new test method is described for assessing biodegradation of plastic material under simulated soil conditions. An inert substrate is activated with soil extract and nutrient and used in place of soil in biodegradation tests. The biodegradation level is evaluated by determining the CO2 level released by the test reactors. Effects of substrate nature, solution pH, nutrient composition, soil extract concentration and activation duration on CO2 production were investigated and the experimental conditions were optimized. Results obtained with cellulose showed a biodegradation rate of 80% within 28 days. Moreover, with this kind of substrate, reaction products and residues can be easily extracted.