ISO 18830:2016,Plastics — Determination of aerobic biodegradation of non-floating plastic materials in a seawater/sandy sediment interface — Method by measuring the oxygen demand in closed respirometer.
ISO 18830:2016 specifies a test method to determine the degree and rate of aerobic biodegradation of plastic materials when settled on marine sandy sediment at the interface between seawater and the seafloor, by measuring the oxygen demand in a closed respirometer.
Products made with biodegradable plastics are designed to be recovered by means of organic recycling in composting plants or in anaerobic digesters. The uncontrolled dispersion of biodegradable plastics in natural environments is not desirable. The biodegradability of products cannot be considered as an excuse to spread wastes that should be recovered and recycled. However, test methods to measure rate and level of biodegradation in natural environments (such as soil or the marine environment) are of interest in order to better characterize the behaviour of plastics in these very particular environments. As a matter of fact, some plastics are used in products that are applied in the sea (e.g. fishing gear and sometimes they can get lost or put willingly in marine environment. The characterization of biodegradable plastic materials can be enlarged by applying specific test methods that enable the quantitative assessment of biodegradation of plastics exposed to marine sediment and seawater.
Plastic products are directly littered or arrive with fresh waters in the pelagic zone (free water).From there, and depending on density, tides, currents, and marine foiling may sink to the sublittoral, and reach the seafloor surface. Many biodegradable plastics have a density higher than 1 and therefore tend to sink. The sediment passes from aerobic to anoxic and finally anaerobic conditions going from the surface ( the interface with seawater) into deeper layers, displaying a very steep oxygen gradient.
ISO 18830:2016 free download
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