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Biodegradable plastic material (TDPA)

Environmental Products Inc. (EPI)

epilogo





EPI is a Canadian company specialized in the research, manufacturing and licensing of Totally Degradable Plastic Additives (TDPA) for the plastic packaging and waste Management industries.
SeraPlus represents EPI in France and Switzerland.




Totally Degradable Plastic Additive (TDPA)


  • Traditional plastics, such as polyolefines, cannot be digested by microbes. Apart from being much too large, the molecules are hydrophobic and in addition they do not contain oxygen.

  • It is proven that oxidised plastics can easily be assimilated by microbes.

  • Synthetic plastics, rejected as litter, resist degradation in nature during decades and “natural oxidation” is much too slow in order to be useful.

  • The TDPA® technology from EPI accelerates the oxidation process with the help of specially formulated additives.

  • These additives assure the service life of the final products (including the shelf life) as well as the quick disintegration once they have been disposed of in landfill or soil.

  • Plastics that have been designed to behave in this way are called «Oxo-biodegradable».




The Oxo-Biodegradable Technology – A 2-Step Process


1. The first step is oxidative degradation:

The additive, which is mixed with the polymer during extrusion, triggers oxidative degradation upon exposure to heat, UV light and mechanical stress. The purpose is to break down the macromolecular structure and to reduce the molecular weight from 250.000 or more, down to a value below 10.000. This will deteriorate the mechanical properties and the plastic then becomes fragile (fragments) and wetable (hydrophilic) and at the same time oxygen is added.


2. The second step is biodegradation:

At this stage the molecular size of the plastic is sufficiently reduced in order to permit digestion by microbes (biodegradation) if certain conditions are met (in terms of temperature, humidity and organic materials). Thus, returning to nature by decomposing into carbon dioxide, water and biomass, without any toxic or dangerous by-product.


For more information about EPI Environmental Products Inc., please visit:
www.epi-global.com




Controlled life plastics


Product characteristics

f40





f37

Progressive degradation of plastics incorporating EPI’s TDPA additives
f38

Degraded PE and PP films with TDPA






f39

Degraded PP, PS, laminated and
copolymers with TDPA









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