Answers below to some of the most commonly asked prospective customer’s questions. It’s a good idea to cover things such as any returns policy, product warranty information, shipping and returns, etc.
Does Ecoplastics consist of microorganisms?
No, Ecoplastics is a petroleum-based material, mixed with patented organic compounds that can attract the microorganisms to digest it and any polymer-based material this is added into Ecoplastics also does not affect recycling.
Do you have sales offices in China or in Hong Kong?
Yes, we have an office and DC in Hong Kong from where we ship the ETL additive to both the local market, and China and all parts of Asia.
Can the plastics be biodegraded in Ocean?
Yes, after adding Ecoplastics, to a polymer-based product, these can be biodegraded in Ocean environments and has been tested successfully to the ASTM D6691 standard
What prevents plastics made with Ecoplastic from degrading while in inventory or on the shelf?
Ecoplastics treated products must be disposed of or kept inactive microbial environments in order to biodegrade. Most warehouse and retail environments do not contain the microbes needed for biodegradation.
Does Ecoplastics contain microbes?
No, Ecoplastics is an additive composed of organic compounds that attract microbes when placed into microbe-rich environments. There are no enzymes or microbes within the Ecoplastics additive.
What are the differences between biodegradation
and degradation?
Biodegradation: The process by which an organic material degrades through the action of microorganisms over a period of time. Biodegradation can occur in either aerobic (with oxygen) or anaerobic (without oxygen) environments.
Degradation: The process by which a material is broken down into smaller pieces but never completely disappears. Plastic degradation can be initiated by the presence of oxygen, UV light, and heat. In many cases these products begin to degrade the moment they are manufactured, resulting in an abbreviated shelf-life.
Besides methane production, why would do we want
plastic to biodegrade in landfills?
Currently, approximately 85% of all plastics produced in the U.S. end up in landfills. This plastic waste builds up in landfills, taking hundreds of years to biodegrade. It makes environmental sense to put an additive into existing plastic resins which will not impact the physical properties of that plastic, if recycled will have no negative impact on the recycling stream, and if landfilled will naturally biodegrade creating methane which can then be used as a source for clean, inexpensive energy.
When a plastic made with Ecoplastics breaks down into
biomass, what makes up that biomass?
Biomass is essentially organic matter similar to soil or dirt. It is made up of nutrients and the remains of bacterial colonies.
Do polymers still remain in the soil after biodegradation?
No, the microbes utilize the carbon backbone of the polymer chain. Microbes use the carbon for energy and leave nothing of the polymer behind when the process of digestion is complete.
What byproducts are produced during the process of
biodegradation?
Products treated with Ecoplastics biodegrade as a result of microbial digestion. The process of microbial digestion can take place in either aerobic (with oxygen) or anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions. These conditions determine what by-products are produced. In aerobic microbial environments, the by-products will be carbon dioxide, water, and humus. Humus is the degraded organic material in soil, which causes some soil layers to be dark brown or black. In soil science, humus refers to any organic matter that has reached a point of stability, where it will break down no further. For anaerobic microbial environments, the by-products will be carbon dioxide, methane, and humus.