Controlled-life plastic technology

Some things, you want to keep forever, but definitely not the plastic. Conventional plastic takes up to 500 years to degrade. Conventional plastic technology are not eco-friendly and impose numerous impacts on environment.

Controlled-life plastic technologyThus, the plastic consumption leads to waste and this waste not only pollutes the environment but will remain in our environment for hundreds and thousands of years.  d2w Oxo-biodegradable additive is a special additive which causes the plastic to convert at the end of its useful life.

Oxo-biodegradation is a two-stage process in which a plastic is degraded in two steps; degradation and biodegradation in the open environment. The process occurs in the same way as nature’s wastes, only quicker.

What’s more, it does so without leaving any toxic residues or fragments of plastic behind. The only residues left behind are carbon dioxide, water and biomass.

The rate at which degradation occurs for conventional plastics is very slow, taking decades or even centuries. Oxo-biodegradable additives are catalysts that accelerate this reaction so that it occurs over a few months to a couple of years.

Plastic bags manufactured through d2w Oxo-biodegradable technology have a predetermined shelf life of about 8 months to 5 years depending on customer’s requirement. The average useful life of a carrier bag is usually designed to be about 18 months (to allow for distribution, stocking, and re-use), but shorter or longer times are possible.

During that time bags are often re-used for shopping or for use as bin-liners etc. They can also be recycled within their useful life. After the useful life of the bag, degradation starts in the presence of oxygen.

Heat and light will accelerate the process, but they are not essential. More exposure to heat and UV light, the faster it will degrade in the environment. Complete degradation and biodegradation occur in 2-5 years.

In littering conditions or when exposed to open environment soon after its use, d2w shopping bags degrade within few short months depending upon climatic conditions. Degradation is faster in harsh conditions (heat, UV light).

As temperature in Pakistan is very high in summers it will degrade faster when exposed to littering conditions. Oxygen is an essential element in d2w Oxo-biodegradable technology as degradation initiates in the presence of oxygen. Other factors like heat and UV light effect the time period required for degradation.

After the degradation step, when molecular weight of samples is decreased, shopping bags are readily available for micro-organisms to attack.  In second phase, microorganisms attack and convert the bags into biomass without any damage to fertility and integrity of soil. Rate of biodegradation also depends on the microbial species present in the soil.

d2w Oxo-biodegradable technology

Plastic  is strong, durable, versatile, lightweight, safe and virtually indestructible. All plastic will eventually degrade then biodegrade, but modern plastic can lie or float around in the open environment for many decades after its useful life. This form of pollution can be controlled and reduced by using d2w technology.

d2w turns ordinary plastic at the end of its useful life into a material with a completely different molecular structure. At that stage it is no longer a plastic and has become a material which can be safely bio-assimilated in the open environment by a similar process as a leaf. d2w is a polymer-based master batch made with specially formulated IP.

When d2w is added to the plastic product, it will control and shorten the degradation and biodegradation process. There is no need to stop using plastics, just add 1% of “d2w inside” your normal plastic product at the manufacturing stage and leave the rest to nature. d2w has been tested for eco-toxicity in soil.

Products made with d2w are re-usable and recyclable and have been tested safe for direct food contact. Oxo-biodegradable technology is being used in more than 100 countries and is legislated in UAE, Saudi-Arabia, Pakistan (Federal, AJK, Sindh), Brazil, Albania, Cameroon, Iran, Jordan, Kosovo, Mauritius, Rwanda, Togo, Yemen, Ivory Coast and Peru that proves to have strong grounds for its existence.

A no-change added-value solution

  • The purpose of d2w plastic is to self-destruct much more quickly than normal plastic if it gets into the open environment, and to do so without causing toxicity.
  • Products made with d2w self-destruct automatically from a few months to several years* after the product’s predetermined service-life.
  • Only oxygen is required, but heat, light, and stress accelerate the process.
  • d2w plastics are not currently marketed as compostable, though they have been composted successfully.
  • d2w plastics will degrade in those parts of a landfill where oxygen is present.
  • d2w plastics can be recycled with other oil-based plastics – unlike “bio-based” plastics, which will damage a normal plastic recycling process.

*Depends on product specifications and exposure conditions

 Why choose d2w Controlled-life Plastic?

Normal plasticd2w Controlled-life Plastic Technology
 

•             Used throughout industry and has been tested and proven safe for food, medical, farming and many other applications.

 

•              Can be reused.

 

•              Will eventually degrade to CO2 and H2O but can take many decades.

 

•              Will not meet any degradable or biodegradable standards.

 

•              Can be recycled, though stabilisers will normally be required to replace properties lost during the process.

 

•    d2w improves the excellent properties of normal plastic by controlling and reducing its lifespan and making it more environmentally acceptable.

•    No change in performance and optical properties of the normal plastic product.

 

•    Low cost, because products made with d2w technology comprise more than 99.5% normal polymer and are made with the same machines.

 

•    Meets ASTM D6954 standard for plastics that degrade in the environment by a combination of oxidation and biodegradation.

Responsible use of plastic – The Three R’s

REDUCE: d2w can reduce the burden of persistent plastic waste in the environment.

RE-USE:  d2w plastic products can be re-used many times during their service-life.

RECYCLE: d2w plastic products can be recycled and can be made from recycled polymers.

How does d2w Controlled-life Plastic Technology work ?

  • Stage 1: d2w is included in the basic polymer resin during the manufacturing
  • Stage 2: At the end of its pre-determined service-life d2w breaks molecular chains within the polymer. The plastic starts to degrade by a process of
  • Stage 3: Finally the material is bio assimilated by micro-organisms.

Plastic pollution is increasing adversely not only due to lack of collection and disposal systems in the country, but it has a close concern with behavioral aspects of the people in the society and require great awareness to stop them from littering.

It needs a lot of time and effort to educate people and emerge with a society having responsible attitudes towards environment. Hence a smart solution is needed till then that is economical and suitable for our country. Oxo-biodegradable technology is an environment friendly solution to plastic pollution problems in Pakistan

Authors: *Aimen shabbir and  isma umar

*University of Agriculture Faisalabad