Oxo-Degradable Plastic Additives: Do These Additives Work?

turtle caught in plastic ring

Oxo-degradable Plastic Additives

Oxo-degradable or oxo-biodegradable additives were originally intended to break down in open environments for wildlife. The plastic when introduced to UV light and heat begin to break down the polymer chain(Fragment) into smaller pieces of plastic. The technology is built with metal ions such as iron, cobalt, nickel and other stearate’s to increase the ability for photo degradation of the plastic polymer. Once the photo degradation of the polymer has begun the plastic particles have a better susceptibility for microorganisms to break down the fragments over a period of time. With these products there is no guarantee that once a consumer uses the final product that the plastic will fragment and have the microbes consume the remaining plastic fragments. Biodegradation does not occur due to the presence of the additive, the additive initiates the ability for microorganisms to consume the plastic fragments. This does not happen at a rapid rate with or without the oxodegradable additive. This is a natural process that microorganism do to plastic.

Plastic? Biodegradable?

Plastic is an amazing material that can hold almost one thousand times it’s normal weight. It is manufactured either by using natural gas or portions of oil that is disposed of if not used in making plastic resin. Plastic is biodegradable over a very long period of time, in some cases 1000 years to break the material down by microorganisms. The reason for this is due to the microorganisms being fed by other easier material around them that they can consume using the natural process of biodegradation.

Oxo-degradable products do not add any value to the ability of microorganisms naturally biodegrading the plastic material. They tear or break the plastic bag into small pieces which leave the rest of the process up to naturally occurring microorganisms. Oxo-degradable plastic products do the following:

1. They break into small pieces when placed into direct UV light.

Oxo-degradable plastic products DO NOT:

1. Initiate biodegradation.
2. Allow for faster biodegradation that wouldn’t already occur with the same plastic fragment.
3. Allow for the plastic product to break into small fragments in landfill conditions.
4. Allow for plastic products to break into small fragments in a compost condition.
5. Allow for the plastic product to break into small plastic fragments if they have UV inhibitors to extend shelf life.

Oxo-degradable plastic products are specifically meant to be used in certain applications such as the 6-pack ring holder that is littered and it does not have UV inhibitors placed into the plastic.

Biodegradable Plastic Additive Alternatives to Oxo-Degradable Additives

BioSphere biodegradable plastic additive does not contain metals or heavy metals or a fancy name. We promote the biodegradation of plastic organically through a catalyst reaction between acids that microbes secrete and the polymer chain. This allows for a metabolic pathway that is initialized when utilizing the BioSphere biodegradable plastic additive at a rate that has been seen to be 1000 times faster than normal plastic products. When utilizing the BioSphere biodegradable plastic additive it does not change the physical properties of the final plastic product. We initiate hydrolysis within the bonds of the plastic product allowing for the Acetyl-CoA metabolic pathway to be initialized and begin the biodegradability of the plastic product.

For more information regarding BioSphere Biodegradable Plastic Additive please visit our website at https://biosphereplastic.com

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