GB/T 19276.2-2003Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in an aqueous medium -- Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide (English PDF)

Foreword

This Standard equivalently adopts ISO 14852:1999 Determination of Ultimate Aerobic

Biodegradability of Plastic Materials in an Aqueous Medium – Method by Analysis of

Evolved Carbon Dioxide (English Edition). The National Plastics Standardization

Center Biodegradable Materials Working Group conducted a series of laboratory tests

from 1999 to 2002, and developed this Standard on the basis of verification tests.

The Annexes A, B, C, D of this Standard are informative.

This Standard was proposed by China Light Industry Council.

This Standard shall be under the jurisdiction of National Technical Committee for

Standardization of Plastics.

Drafting organization of this Standard: Tianjin Danhai Co., Ltd. Participating drafting

organizations of this Standard: Shenzhen Lvwei Technologies Co., Ltd.; Wuhan Huali

Environment Protection Science Technology Co., Ltd.; Ningbo Tianan Biologic Material

Co., Ltd.; Inner Mongolia Mengxi High-Tech Group Co., Ltd.; and China National

Center for Quality Supervision and Test of Plastic Products.

Chief drafting staffs of this Standard: Weng Yunxuan, Liu Jiapan, Chen Jiaqi, Yang

Huidi, Xu Fengxia, Kong Li, Zhang Xianbing, Wang Shihe, Chen Xuejun, Ye Xinjian,

Mao Guoyu, Liu Caixia.

Determination of the Ultimate Aerobic Biodegradability

of Plastic Materials in an Aqueous Medium – Method by

Analysis of Evolved Carbon Dioxide

1 Scope

This Standard 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 laboratory conditions to an inoculum from activated sludge,

compost or soil.

If an un-adapted activated sludge is used as the inoculum, the test simulates the

biodegradation processes which occur in a natural aqueous 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 Standard do not necessarily correspond to the optimum

conditions allowing maximum biodegradation to occur, but the standard is designed to

determine the potential biodegradability of plastic materials or give an indication of their

biodegradability in natural environments.

The method enables the assessment of the biodegradability to be improved by

calculating a carbon balance (optional, see Annex C).

The method applies to the following materials:

--- Natural and/or synthetic polymers, copolymers or mixtures thereof.

--- Plastic materials which contain additives such as plasticizers, colorants or other

compounds.

--- Water-soluble polymers.

--- Materials which, under the test conditions, do not inhibit the microorganisms

present in the inoculum. Inhibitory effects can be determined using an inhibition

control or by another appropriate method. If the test material is inhibitory to the

inoculum, a lower test concentration, another inoculum or a pre-exposed

inoculum can be used.

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