28-29 May, 2009 - Vienna, AUSTRIA
NH Danube City
NH Danube City
Gary Ogden from Wells Plastics will provide his views on above question when he presents his paper "A Novel Additive System to Impart Oxobiodegradability in PET Bottles" at CMT's 10th CEE PET conference on 28 & 29 May in Vienna.
Synopsis:
The natural degradation of polymers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, PET and other polymers occurs at a relatively low rate. The breakdown is generally instigated by exposure to heat, UV light and/or moisture, but subsequent microbial biodigestion remains very, very slow due to the polymer’s high molecular weight and general intrinsic hydrophobicity, but this can commence if the polymer’s molecular weight can be sufficiently reduced by initial degradation. Oxo-biodegradable additives have been developed to enhance and accelerate this chain scission process in many polymers, predominantly polyolefin polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene etc), whereas polyesters such as PET have remained outside the technology. This presentation discusses recent developments in oxo-biodegradable additives for use with PET. Current degradation data is presented, and the various mechanisms by which, and environments where, degradation occurs.
