How controllable is the process of biodegradation (shelf life and service life)?
The speed of degradation can largely be controlled by the additive package used for any particular application. This process is affected by the levels of uncontrollable variables – particularly heat, UV light and stress – to which the plastic is exposed. Higher than planned levels of these will speed up the process and lower levels will slow it down (but not stop it). For this reason, manufacturers typically build a significant safety margin into the planned degradation time assuring that the properties of the plastic remain intact for the full useful life of the product. Reverte™ has a unique control package with two trigger mechanisms for guaranteed performance. First, a photoinitiator which means that the oxo-breakdown reaction does not significantly begin before the product is discarded and exposed to UV light and/or heat. There is also a built-in time release, which can be programmed to be activated as required by supply chain (‘fit-for-purpose’) requirements. This ensures that cu
