ASTM method D5511-11 determines the degree of anaerobic biodegradation of plastic materials.
Anaerobic Biodegradation of plastic materials under high-solids anaerobic-digestion conditions (ASTM D5511) ASTM method D5511-11 determines the degree of anaerobic biodegradation of plastic materials in high-solids anaerobic conditions. The test sample is exposed to a methanogenic inoculum cultivated from a wastewater treatment facility’s anaerobic digesters operating on household waste. Three vessels are used for each sample, and one negative control and one positive control are prepared as well. After an initial burst of aerobic activity, the oxygen in the incubation vessels is depleted and the anaerobic bacteria begin to multiply and colonize in the vessel. As these bacteria begin to utilize the carbon in the test samples, they produce carbonaceous gas such as CO2 and CH4. If the positive control (which contains cellulose) continues to exhibit biodegradation then the test is considered valid and the inoculum considered alive.When the test is run to satisfaction, final gas readings are recorded and the incubation vessels are emptied and the samples are cleaned and weighed. The initial weight of sample before and after biodegradation is analyzed and the percent biodegradation of the samples can be determined.
