Degradable Plastics Category Overview

Degradable plastics refers to the addition of some auxiliaries to promote the degradation of plastics in plastics, or the synthesis of plastics with inherent degradation properties, or plastics made from renewable natural materials, which can meet the original application performance requirements during use and storage. After use, under certain environmental conditions, it can make a significant change in the chemical structure in a relatively short period of time, resulting in a certain type of plastic loss of properties.

Classification of degradable plastics: According to the objective conditions or mechanism that cause degradation, degradable plastics can be roughly classified into: biodegradable plastics, photodegradable plastics, oxidative degradable plastics, and hydrolytic degradable plastics. Between them can be combined with each other into a better degradation of plastic, such as: light / biodegradable plastics.

Photodegradable plastics: A class of plastics that are degraded by sunlight;

Biodegradable plastics: A class of plastics that are degraded by the action of naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, mold (fungi), and algae. Biodegradable plastics can be divided into two types: completely biodegradable plastics and destructive biodegradable plastics.

Oxidatively degradable plastics: A class of plastics that are degraded by oxidation;

Hydrolytically degradable plastics: A class of plastics that are degraded by hydrolysis;

Environmentally degradable plastics: A type of plastic that degrades under exposure to environmental conditions such as light, heat, water, oxygen, pollutants, micro-organisms, insects, and wind, sand, rain, etc., as well as mechanical forces. General term.

Fully biodegradable plastics: Fully biodegradable plastics are mainly produced from natural polymers (such as starch, cellulose, chitin) or agricultural by-products by microbial fermentation or synthesis of biodegradable polymers, such as thermoplastic starch plastics, aliphatic Polyester, polylactic acid, starch/polyvinyl alcohol, and the like belong to such plastics.

Destructive Biodegradable Plastics: Destructive biodegradable plastics currently include starch-modified (or filled) polyethylene PE, polypropylene PP, polyvinyl chloride PVC, and polystyrene PS.

Source: Waterborne Coatings Network