Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in an aqueous medium — Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide

Document Number: NL ISO 14852 : 2019
Sector: Rubber and plastic industries
TC: NL TC 61
ICS: 83.080.01
This document specifies a method, by measuring the amount of carbon dioxide evolved, for the determination of the degree of aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials, including those containing formulation additives. The test material is exposed in a synthetic medium under standardized laboratory conditions to an inoculum from activated sludge, mature compost or soil under aerobic, mesophilic conditions. If an unadapted activated sludge is used as the inoculum, the test result can be used to assess the aerobic biodegradation processes which occur in a waste water treatment plant environment. If a mixed or pre-exposed inoculum is used, the method can be used to investigate the potential biodegradability of a test material. The conditions used in this document do not necessarily correspond to the optimum conditions allowing maximum biodegradation to occur, but this test method is designed to measure the biodegradation of plastic materials and give an indication of their potential bio