Plastic pollution in the aquatic environment has become a worldwide problem. In response to this, scientifically tested materials that are supposed to be biodegradable in water should be considered. The ISO 23977-1 mandates a method for predicting the complete aerobic biodegradability of plastics in waterborne processes via natural microbial inocula to mimic possible environmental scenarios. According to the ISO 23977-1 standard, particular relevance is due to marine and freshwater-safe plastics, especially for single-use (e.g., packaging, disposable cutlery and utensils) and biodegradable fishing gear, which has a characteristic to be mismanaged in the aquatic environment.
ISO 23977-1 Test Method
| Test procedure | This test is executed at mesophilic test conditions for not more than 2 years. Plastic materials are therefore incubated only with seawater, a pelagic seawater test, or seawater of low sediment concentration added ( suspended sediment seawater test). The ultimate test of biodegradation in plastics is the amount of CO2 produced from the biodegradation of the plastic material. |
