photo-degradable plastics

Photo-degradable materials are mainly made of standard conventional plastics such as PE, PP, PET etc. with some “special” additives. These additives are catalytic materials which help the products to biodegrade in a two-step process: oxidation and then biodegradation. 

These catalytic materials are usually based on transition metals of cobalt (Co), magnesium (Mg), or manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), or nickel (Ni) into the polymer. These metal ions are susceptible to light, heat, moisture, and mechanical stress and as such, weaken the tensile strength of the polymer chain.

But, with various types of catalytic additives incorporated into different plastics, the degree and the rate of degradation differs significantly. Therefore, standard tests should be carried out in the products made of photo-degradable in order to understand and verify the biodegradation process.