BioSphere Technical Information
BioSphere biodegradable plastic additive is a unique, easy to use additive
which enhances the ability of plastic to rapidly biodegrade.
BioSphere biodegradable plastic additive is a unique, easy to use, additive which enhances the ability of plastic to rapidly biodegrade when added to polymers and works in anaerobic and aerobic systems as well as marine environments.
Biodegradable means the total breakdown of a product to naturally-occurring molecules – water, biomass and gas.
Traditional plastics are typically hydrophobic which allows for only a small amount of biodegradation to occur and as a result degradation takes a very long time – typically hundreds of years.
BioSphere is scientifically proven to break plastic products down completely by increasing the level of hydrophilicity in the plastic, allowing acids that are secreted naturally by microbes to soften the macromolecules within the plastic. These microbes are then able to consume the macromolecules much more quickly resulting in much faster biodegradation occurring – returning it to nature in a much shorter period of time.
In anaerobic systems, such as landfills, the plastic is turned into CH4, CO2, biomass, and water. In aerobic systems, such as compost facilities, CO2, biomass, and water are produced. No microplastics will be left.
Without the presence of active microbes, the plastic is unaffected. This means in-use properties of products are maintained and processing is not affected.
Applications
BioSphere 201 grade is used for general purpose injection moulding and extrusion applications, Biosphere 202 for Thermoformed PET trays and BioSphere 203 for blow moulding PET applications.
There are also liquid and powder versions for special applications.
Fastest Acting Biodegradable Additive
BioSphere is the fastest acting biodegradable additive on the market today. It does not change the physical properties of the plastic part, enabling products to maintain their normal shelf life and tensile strength, whilst benefiting from enhanced biodegradation.
Using the recommended addition rate of 1% will significantly increase the rate of biodegradation of a plastic product when compared to plastics without BioSphere added.
A good example of this is a PET food tray was independently tested to the ASTM5511-11 standard with and without Biosphere. As shown in the graph, the tray which included 1% BioSphere was more than 60% biodegraded after the first 12 months and fully biodegraded in less than 4 years. The tray without BioSphere was less than 3% biodegraded after 4 years.
BioSphere does not require a specially controlled industrial compost facility to work (as other materials on the market such as PLA need) and works in all major resin types including PET, PP, PS, PE and PVC.
Food Safe
BioSphere additive has been tested to, and complies with, several international standards including ISO 14021:2016, ISO DIS 15985 and EU Directive 84/62/EC as well as several ASTM standards for anaerobic systems and aerobic systems.
Test Report – EVA foam
Test Report – PET clear food container
Test Report – White LDPE Bag
Key Features
Frequently Asked Questions
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