FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
What is EcoPure® made of?
EcoPure® is a proprietary and patented blend of organic ingredients proven to enhance the rate of plastic biodegradation in anaerobic environments.
EcoPure® comes in pellet, powder, and liquid form. There are multiple formulations with different carrier resins to ensure compatibility with most polymer types.
What are the by-products of biodegradation?
The biodegradation of plastic treated with EcoPure® results in the same natural metabolic by-products as biodegrading organic waste, like food scraps or garden waste. The by-products primarily include biomass, water, biogas, mineral salts, and nutrient rich organic material.
What types of plastic can EcoPure® be used in?
EcoPure® is compatible with virtually any polymer type and production method.
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It is commonly used in PET, HDPE, LDPE, PVC, polypropylene, polystyrene, EVA, nylon, PMMA, and polycarbonate. It is compatible with recycled plastics, and it is used in bio-based resins such as PLA, green EVA, and polyurethane.
Is EcoPure® an oxo-degradation additive?
No, EcoPure® is not an oxo-degradation additive.
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Oxo-degradation additives are banned in many countries around the world for good reason. These additives work by introducing potentially harmful transition metal salts such as manganese, cobalt and iron into plastic, making them susceptible to oxidative reactions that cause the plastic to physically degrade in the presence of sunlight and oxygen. As a result, plastic articles containing oxo-degradation additives are at risk of disintegration and fragmentation before their service life has expired, resulting in the formation of microplastics. Oxo-degradation additives contaminate recycling streams and the microplastics they generate persist in the environment for centuries.
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EcoPure® promotes enzymatic biodegradation, not fragmentation via oxidative reactions. It does not contain metal salts and is inert when exposed to sunlight and oxygen.
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Does the addition of EcoPure® to plastic result in the formation of microplastics?
No, the addition of EcoPure® to plastic does not cause microplastics to form.
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Microplastics are fragments of any type of plastic less than 5 mm in length. Microplastics may be intentionally manufactured for use in products like cosmetics or they may be small pieces of plastic that break-off of larger plastic articles.
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Most microplastics are the result of the forces of abrasion and friction acting on plastic. Clothing made with polyester, nylon, acrylic or spandex fiber, sheds microplastics when agitated in a washing machine, making synthetic fabrics one of the largest contributors of microplastics in the environment.
EcoPure® does not cause plastic to fragment into microplastics. While it cannot prevent the plastic from being exposed to friction, abrasion and other environmental factors, EcoPure® greatly mitigates the environment impact of microplastics by accelerating their biodegradability.
How is EcoPure® added to resins during the manufacturing process?
EcoPure® is a simple drop-in masterbatch additive that is added via a standard commercial dry feeder (gravimetric feeder), in the same way as a colorant. Typically, it is loaded at 0.5% to 1% by weight. The remaining process parameters remain virtually unchanged.
How is the biodegradability of products made with EcoPure® tested?
The biodegradability of plastics made with EcoPure® is tested using methods developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the American Society of Testing and Measurements (ASTM).
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The ISO 15985 / ASTM D5511 method is widely utilized to detect evidence of the biodegradation of plastic. It measures the rate of biodegradation of plastic products in an anaerobic environment, a test method that closely resembles conditions in biologically active landfills.
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The method calls for plastic samples to be placed in sealed fermentation vessels filled with an inoculum derived from a mix of composted solids and active wastewater treatment plant sludge. The fermentation vessels are connected to collection devices that measure waste gas produced by bacterial metabolic processes. At the end of the test the exact carbon-weight of the gasses collected is calculated and recorded.
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Plastics made with EcoPure® are tested to other standards, including:
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ASTM D5526 - Standard Test Method for Determining Anaerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials Under Accelerated Landfill Conditions
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ASTM D5988 – Standard Test Method for Determining Aerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials in Soil
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ASTM D5338 – Standard Test Method for Determining Aerobic Biodegradation of Plastic Materials Under Controlled Composting Conditions, Incorporating Thermophilic Temperatures
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ASTM D6691 – Aerobic Biodegradability of Plastics in Seawater - CO2 Evolution
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We recommend that all our clients test their end products to standard ISO 15985 / ASTM D5511 and to other standards that represent the most common end-of-life scenario for their products.
Is EcoPure® safe for food and human contact?
Yes, EcoPure® is certified food contact safe and human contact safe.
EcoPure® meets US FDA requirements for food contact and it is compliant with European Union requirements. It is used by food brands in Europe, North America, and the Middle East. It is added to PET, HDPE, PS, and PP food containers and to many polymer types used in flexible and multilayer packaging.
It complies with standard for toy safety, textile, apparel, and footwear safety standards. EcoPure® is used in clothing, baby bottles, toys, kitchenware, and medical devices.
Certificates are available upon request.
What environmental conditions need to be present for EcoPure® to enhance biodegradation?
Plastics made with EcoPure® require an active microbial environment to begin biodegrading. Common active microbial environments are landfills, compost environments, soil, swamps, or even waterways and oceans that contain bacterial and fungal colonies in aerobic or anaerobic conditions.
The process of biodegradation will not begin when products are in use, in a store, in a warehouse, or when EcoPure® infused materials are exposed to oxygen and sunlight. EcoPure® does not affect the useful life of plastic so recyclable plastics remain recyclable.
What is bacterial quorum-sensing?
Bacteria often live in large communities comprised of hundreds or thousands of species. In these communities, bacteria use quorum-sensing to coordinate certain behaviors and they produce and secrete signaling molecules called autoinducers to communicate and mount responses to their environments.
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Quorum-sensing and the availability of nutrients trigger the formation of a biofilm. EcoPure® accelerates the formation of a biofilm on the surface of plastic by making bacteria identify the plastic as a source of nutrients and inducing quorum-sensing pathways.
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Once bacteria attach to plastic and form a biofilm, naturally occurring bacterial enzymes are in high concentration on the surface of the plastic and the overall rate of plastic biodegradation accelerates.
What is the biodegradation of plastic?
The biodegradation of plastic is a complex process that results in the extensive reworking of the carbon-containing compounds in plastic by living organisms. Microbes depolymerize the polymer chain and create biogas, biomass (more bacteria), mineral salts, and soil components. For biodegradation to happen, plastic must undergo two key steps.
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Enzymes secreted by microbes cut the polymers' hydrocarbon chains into smaller, low molecular weight molecules.
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The smaller molecules are absorbed by microorganisms for energy and are converted into biogas and new microbial biomass.
The rate of biodegradation depends on the type of polymer and the shape of plastic end product.
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Surface-to-volume greatly influences the rate of biodegradation. In the same environmental conditions, 50g of PP extruded into a thin plastic film will biodegrade more quickly than a 50g PP marble.
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Different polymer types have different degrees of crystallinity defined as the orderly and symmetrical orientation of its carbon chain. The more crystalline a polymer, the harder it will be to break down the carbon chains and the longer it takes to biodegrade.
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