Green Education Biodegradation
Introduction
The enhanced biodegradable properties of our ecovez collection are attributed to a chemical compound called EcoPure. EcoPure is a FDA approved Organic Green technology developed by a US based company. It is a 100% organic material that is blended into the plastic during the manufacturing process. It enables our products to be consumed by the environment, resulting in biomass (rich soil), biogas (anaerobic), and CO2 (aerobic).
This state of the art biodegradable technology allows plastic to absorb moisture more readily causing expansion and breakage of the polymer chain. In addition, promotes microorganisms to colonize in and around the plastic. These microorganisms secrete enzymes, which break down the polymer chain and once the polymer chain is open, the microbes can use the carbon chain as a source of food and energy.
This exciting and innovative new technology enables us to create biodegradable products that will have an indefinite shelf life, yet quickly biodegrading, only when placed in an active microbial environment, such as a landfill or facility compost.
Biodegradation, defined by the American Society for Testing Materials, is the degradation of organic material resulting from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, algae or protozoa. This natural breakdown of materials by microorganisms can either occur in environments with oxygen known as an aerobic environment or it can occur in environments without oxygen known as an anaerobic environment.
Microorganisms, also known as microbes, are organisms that can’t be seen with the human eye but only seen with the assistance of a microscope. Microbes live in all parts of the biosphere where there is liquid water, including soil, hot springs on the oceans floor, high in the atmosphere and deep inside rocks within the earth’s crust. They act as decomposers and are important to nutrient recycling in ecosystems. Enzymes produced by the living microbial organism, breaks down organic substance into smaller compounds. The most common products resulting from biodegradation are carbon dioxide and/or methane.
Microorganisms are vital to humans and the environment. They participate in the earth's Carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle, as well as fulfilling other fundamental roles in virtually all ecosystems, such as recycling other organisms dead remains and waste through decomposition. Microbes also have an important place in most higher-order multicellular organisms, such as animals.
Biodegradable Plastics
Plastics are made from hydrogen and carbon, which are known as hydrocarbons. Traditional plastics are fossil fuel plastics derived from petroleum and have been engineered for high strength and indefinite shelf life. This is why traditional plastics take thousands of years for microbes to break it down into biogases and biomass. Also, these traditional plastic absorption capabilities are relatively low. On the other hand biodegradable plastics are plastics engineered to decompose in the natural environment. Biodegradation of plastics can be achieved by enabling microbes in the environment to metabolize the molecular structure of plastic films and produce an inert humus material and biogases. Some bioplastics are biodegradable plastics derived from renewable raw material, such as corn or sugar cane. The disadvantage of these types of bioplastics is that they lack the benefit of a long shelf life comparable to traditional plastics. Our new biodegradable technology has the advantage of maintaining the properties of high strength, indefinite shelf life and the ability to degrade once put in a highly microbe environment such as a landfill. One thing to make a note of is plastics which biodegrade by microbes do not leave behind any polymer residue or toxic materials.
Biodegradation Process in Landfills with this New Technology
In landfills, the aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation processes work hand in hand with one another. In the first phase, moisture is building up and aerobic microbes are being established. This advanced technology allows for the swelling, weakening of the bonds, and creating space where moisture and microbial growth can rapidly begin the aerobic degradation process. In the second phase, where anaerobic degradation occurs, the microbe colonies continue to grow, eating away at the polymer chain and creating increasingly larger spaces. During this phase, acetic acid, carbon dioxide and hydrogen are produced.
In the final stage of decomposition, colonies of microbes continue to eat away at the remaining surface of the polymer, the production of methane and carbon dioxide occur, while hydrogen is consumed. The process continues until the only remaining element is humus. This highly nutritional soil creates and improved environment for the microbes and enhances the final stage of decomposition.
Why Green?
Conventional plastic degrades very slowly and when burned, releases toxic pollutants, affecting our health, air quality and natural environments, such as wild life habitats. Plastics occupy 25 percent of all landfill space. The best environmental solution is plastic that is healthy and biodegradable, which can safely be absorbed by air, water, and soil.
Our biodegradable plastic solutions are completely organic and non-destructive to the environment. Like any organic material that is biodegradable, the plastic will create byproducts, most of which are useful, including humus, which can be used to make soil richer and methane, which can be used as fuel. In fact, landfills all over the country are beginning to tap the methane from the natural breakdown of organic materials as a source of energy. Our future products will assist in reducing our dependence on unsustainable resources such as fossil fuels. Our goal at Innovez is to bring to you, our dedicated customers, education and solutions for your environmental concerns.