What is the chemical mechanism of ox biodegradation?
The chemical mechanism of ox biodegradation is a oxygen radical chain splitting that degrades the long chain polymers and at the same time ‘oxygenates’ them with hydroxy and carboxy groups to make the small (MW 1.000-5.000 amu) molecules hydrophilic and bioavailable .The Oxobiodegradable additives catalyze the natural process to make the polymer degrade with a designed life time. Source: article by Sipinen and Rutherford (published in Journal of Environmental Polymer Degradation in 1993) describes the metals that have been used, their mechanism and rates of degradation in a thorough manner.
