Wells Plastics laboratories measure the first stage of degradation (oxidation) using carbonyl indexing and embrittlement point determination, processes which have been developed and exploited at Wells for many years and are now adopted by the industry.
The Reverte® oxo-biodegradable additive family are well suited to a wide range of processes and applications, have extensive food contact status and have been used for many years to provide a reliable and reproducible oxo-biodegradable profile around the world.
The key attribute of the Reverte® technology is the degradation profile and how it compares with a more conventional ‘oxo-biodegradable material.’
The growth of the carbonyl index relates to the level of oxygen which has been incorporated into the polymer and wherever a carbonyl group is introduced the polymer undergoes a chain scission, i.e. a molecular weight reduction and a change in its physical and chemical properties.
What is different?
The more carbonyls introduced the further removed it becomes from its polymeric nature. Once a critical point has been achieved in carbonyl index the polymer loses its flexibility and breaks apart under the minutest of stresses. At this time it is considered to be at its ‘embrittlement point’.
What makes Reverte® stand out is the profile of degradation, the curve plotted of carbonyl index versus time starts off very flat with a period of no change in the carbonyl index over time. This period is known as the ‘dwell time’ another phrase coined by Wells Plastics.
After the dwell time has been passed the degradation then proceeds rapidly until the embrittlement point is reached and beyond that the plastic falls apart.
The molecular weight is lowered and the material available for biodigestion.
Biodegradability of a Reverte® treated film occurs once the molecular weight is below 5000.
At this level the polymer no longer exists and is a wide range of discrete oxidised species. Bacteria and fungi find these species suitable for a source of carbon and can be assimilated into the lifecycle resulting in the formation of biomass and CO2 under aerobic conditions.
Biodegradation can only occur (whether this is for Reverte® plastics or for grass cuttings) in environments that have warmth, bacterial activity and moisture. This fact is often overlooked when marketing oxo-biodegradable or hydrobiodegradable materials.
Reverte® is an additive masterbatch in the production of plastic and provides the most cost effective and safest method of dealing with conventional plastic waste.