The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a colossal floating garbage dump in the northern Pacific Ocean. Roughly the size of Texas, it lies between Hawaii and San Francisco. It contains about 3.5 million tons of trash, much of it plastic--shoes, toys, bags, pacifiers, wrappers, toothbrushes, and bottles are only part of what can be found in this dump. A similar dump exists in the Atlantic Ocean.
The global buildup of plastic, both in the sea and along every shoreline, is an environmental nightmare. Most commercial plastics are produced from petroleum. These plastics degrade into small pieces so plastic waste builds up and can exist for many years. A great deal of research has taken place to develop biodegradable plastics that break down with exposure to sunlight, water or dampness, bacteria, enzymes, and so on.
Instron customer Metabolix, Inc. has been researching for two decades to develop a commercially viable biodegradable plastic from corn sugar and has recently made the leap from research to commercial production with their product Mirel™. One of the first Mirel products is the injection molding grade used to make 60% of the pen components for the $1.25 Biodegradable Paper Mate® pen made by Newell Rubbermaid.
As with any new material, its testing requirements have been extensive. Its product data sheet gives mechanical test specifications for tensile strength, elongation at break, flexural modulus, flexural strength, notched IZOD impact values, and melt flow figures, using ASTM and ISO standards.
Other potential applications are cups, food containers, beverage cartons, razor handles, brushes, applicators, cell phones, erosion control netting, plant pots, and plant clips.
Read full TechNotes Article
The global buildup of plastic, both in the sea and along every shoreline, is an environmental nightmare. Most commercial plastics are produced from petroleum. These plastics degrade into small pieces so plastic waste builds up and can exist for many years. A great deal of research has taken place to develop biodegradable plastics that break down with exposure to sunlight, water or dampness, bacteria, enzymes, and so on.
Instron customer Metabolix, Inc. has been researching for two decades to develop a commercially viable biodegradable plastic from corn sugar and has recently made the leap from research to commercial production with their product Mirel™. One of the first Mirel products is the injection molding grade used to make 60% of the pen components for the $1.25 Biodegradable Paper Mate® pen made by Newell Rubbermaid.
As with any new material, its testing requirements have been extensive. Its product data sheet gives mechanical test specifications for tensile strength, elongation at break, flexural modulus, flexural strength, notched IZOD impact values, and melt flow figures, using ASTM and ISO standards.
Other potential applications are cups, food containers, beverage cartons, razor handles, brushes, applicators, cell phones, erosion control netting, plant pots, and plant clips.
Read full TechNotes Article
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