ISO/NP 26982

Plastics -Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in soil by microbial enrichment under accelerated conditions

Scope

This document specifies a method for determining the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under microbially accelerated soil conditions by measuring the amount of carbon dioxide evolved.

The method is designed to determine the ultimate degree of biodegradation within a reduced test duration by adjusting the incubation temperature, adding salts, and utilizing microbially enriched soil. This method focuses on enhancing the degradative activity of the soil by inducing the enrichment of the relevant microorganisms, thereby accelerating the biodegradation rate of the test materials.
This method applies to the following materials:
— natural and/or synthetic polymers, copolymers or mixtures of these;
— plastic materials which contain additives such as plasticizers or colorants;
— water-soluble polymers.
It does not necessarily apply to materials which, under the test conditions, inhibit the activity of the microorganisms present in the soil.

NOTE This test method has been evaluated by the test of poly(hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA), polylactic acid (PLA), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) materials. The use for other polymer types or plastic materials other than those specified above has not been specifically evaluated.