• Products
• Distributors
• Technology
• Credentials
• Contact

Technology

Degradation Process

The degradation process is initiated at the time the polyethylene or polypropylene is extruded by the inclusion of a small amount of a special additive. This additive works to break down the carbon-carbon bonds in the plastic leading to a lowering of the molecular weight and eventually to a loss of strength and other properties. Stabilisers work to ensure that a sufficiently long useful life is provided for each specific application. For example, a refuse sack might require a useful life of say 18 months before beginning to lose its strength whereas a bread bag might only require a few weeks.

Significantly, the d2w® range does not need a biologically active environment to start degrading - this will happen even if the plastic is left in the open air! This is very important if we are to address the serious litter problems caused by waste plastic. For this reason in particular, d2w® 'totally degradable' plastic is superior to 'bio-degradable' which requires the plastic to be in a biologically active environment (for example, by being buried in the ground) before the degradation process is initiated.

One of the unique aspects of the new d2w® totally degradable material is the controllable nature of the degradation process. The timescale of degradation and its initiation can be controlled according to the planned use of the film. What this means in practice is that d2w® totally degradable plastics will retain all their required properties for the planned useful life of the product and the effects of the degradation process will only become evident some time after that useful life is complete.

d2w® plastics can be engineered to start to degrade in as little as 60 days or as long as 5 - 6 years, depending on the requirements of the product. This is achieved by using different formulations of the additive and different inclusion rates depending on the particular product specification, geography of use, and application specific useful-life demands. The actual speed of degradation will, however, still be affected by the levels of heat, light and stress to which it is subjected. The compostable version of this technology is engineered to completely degrade between 60 to 90 days in an in-vessel commercial compost environment, where typically temperatures in excess of 70 degrees centigrade are maintained to ensure compliance with the Animal ByProducts Directive.