Polymateria, an Advanced Technology Development Company based in London, have developed a next generation biodegradation solution together with Imperial College University London.
The technology, available as a simple drop-in additive, has the unique ability to ‘Biotransform’ the hard crystalline and amorphous structure of both PE & PP into a wax-like material hence leaving no microplastics. A proprietary ‘prebiotic’ then attracts microbes, fungi and bacteria to fully consume the wax-like material.
The additive type & dosage can be tailored to the service life of the final article such that biodegradation does not begin until after a set time. This also allows for a unique “Recycle By Date” concept to empower consumers. A typical additive dosage into PE film is just 2%.
Verification process
In order to build credibility & market confidence, a robust standard specification for biodegradability has recently been developed (BSI PAS 9017:2020) which paves the way for an authentic third-party certification process for Polymateria’s technology:
New British standard for biodegradable plastic introduced – The Guardian
This new standard includes Polymateria’s strict criteria on carbonyl Index and molecular weight which are used to ensure full bio-availability and a microplastic-free process.
Polymateria’s Biotransformation technology is the only one in the world that has proven full biodegradation of polyolefin-based packaging into water, CO2 and biomass without any ecotoxicity issues. Under real world conditions, tested at third-party laboratories, PE films have fully biodegraded in 226 days and rigid PP articles in 336 Days.
Recyclability during product’s lifetime
Tests have been carried out based on the RecyClass Recyclability Evaluation Protocol for PE Films and PP Rigids:
RECYCLABILITY EVALUATION PROTOCOL FOR PE FILMS
RECYCLABILITY EVALUATION PROTOCOL FOR PP CONTAINERS
The technology is fully compatible with normal mechanical recycling processes with no adverse impact on the mechanical characteristics and optical aspect of recycled products when mixed up to 50% into the standard recycled supply chain.
Products & availability
Polymateria’s product has been commercialised under two brands, Cycle+ and DegrAid, formulated as drop-in Masterbatches (MB). Each MB is tailored to the resin’s footprint, application profile and required use life and is compatible with normal plastic conversion processes such as blown film extrusion. Typical loading rate is 2 weight percentage (wt%).
For trial samples and further technical information please contact us.
