1、Designation: D 6400 04Standard Specification forCompostable Plastics1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 6400; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses ind
2、icates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope*1.1 This specification covers plastics and products madefrom plastics that are designed to be composted in municipaland industrial aerobic composting facilities.1
3、.2 This specification is intended to establish the require-ments for labeling of materials and products, including pack-aging made from plastics, as “compostable in municipal andindustrial composting facilities.”1.3 The properties in this specification are those required todetermine if plastics and
4、products made from plastics willcompost satisfactorily, including biodegrading at a rate com-parable to known compostable materials. Further, the proper-ties in the specification are required to assure that the degra-dation of these materials will not diminish the value or utilityof the compost resu
5、lting from the composting process.1.4 The following safety hazards caveat pertains to the testmethods portion of this standard: This standard does notpurport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associatedwith its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standardto establish appro
6、priate health and safety practices and todetermine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior touse.NOTE 1No equivalent ISO specifications exist for this standard.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D 883 Terminology Relating to PlasticsD 5338 Test Method for Determining Aerobic Biodeg
7、rada-tion of Plastic Materials Under Controlled CompostingConditionsD 6002 Guide forAssessing the Compostability of Environ-mentally Degradable Plastics2.2 Organization for Economic Development (OECD)Standard:3OECD Guideline 208 Terrestrial Plants, Growth Test2.3 Comite Europeen de Normalisation (CE
8、N):4EN 13432: 2000, 2000CEN/TC 261/SC4N99PackagingRequirements for Packaging Recoverablethrough Composting and BiodegradationTest Schemeand Evaluation Criteria for the Final Acceptance ofPackaging (EN 13432)EN 13432 Requirements for Packaging Recoverablethrough Composting and BiodegradationTest Sche
9、meand Evaluation Criteria for the Final Acceptance ofPackaging2.4 ISO Standard:4ISO 14855 Evaluation of the Ultimate Aerobic Biodegrad-ability and Disintegration of Plastics under ControlledComposting ConditionsMethod by Analysis of EvolvedCarbon DioxideISO 16929 PlasticsDetermination of the Degree
10、of Dis-integration of Plastic Materials under Defined CompostingConditions in a Pilot-Scale Test2.5 U.S. Government Standard:540 CFR Part 503.13 Standards for the Use or Disposal ofSewage Sludge2.6 Canadian Government Standard:6Trade Memorandum T-4-93 Standards for Metals in Fertil-izers and Supplem
11、ents3. Terminology3.1 DefinitionsDefinitions appearing in this specificationare found in Terminology D 883, unless otherwise noted.3.1.1 biodegradable plastica degradable plastic in whichthe degradation results from the action of naturally occurringmicroorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae.1
12、This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D20 onPlastics and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.96 on Environmen-tally Degradable Plastics and Biobased Products.Current edition approved Sept. 1, 2004. Published September 2004. Originallyapproved in 1999. Last previ
13、ous edition approved in 1999 as D 6400 - 99.2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Available from O
14、rganization for Economic Development, Director of Informa-tion, 2 rue Andre8 Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France.4Available from American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St.,4th Floor, New York, NY 10036.5Code of Federal Regulations, available from U.S. Government Printing Office,Wa
15、shington, DC 20402.6Available from the Canadian Food Inspections Agency, Fertilizer Section,Ottawa, Canada1*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard.Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.3.1.2 compost
16、able plastica plastic that undergoes degra-dation by biological processes during composting to yield CO2,water, inorganic compounds, and biomass at a rate consistentwith other known compostable materials and leave no visible,distinguishable or toxic residue.3.1.3 composting7a managed process that co
17、ntrols thebiological decomposition and transformation of biodegradablematerials into a humus-like substance called compost: theaerobic mesophilic and thermophilic degradation of organicmatter to make compost; the transformation of biologicallydecomposable material through a controlled process of bio
18、oxi-dation that proceed through mesophilic and thermophilicphases and results in the production of carbon dioxide, water,minerals, and stabilized organic matter (compost or humus).3.1.3.1 DiscussionComposting uses a natural process tostabilize mixed decomposable organic material recovered frommunici
19、pal solid waste, yard trimmings, biosolids (digestedsewage sludge), certain industrial residues and commercialresidues.3.1.4 degradable plastica plastic designed to undergo asignificant change in its chemical structure under specificenvironmental conditions, resulting in a loss of some propertiestha
20、t may be measured by standard test methods appropriate tothe plastic and the application in a period of time thatdetermines its classification.3.1.5 plastica material that contains as an essential ingre-dient one or more organic polymeric substances of largemolecular weight, is solid in its finished
21、 state, and, at somestage in its manufacture or processing into finished articles, canbe shaped by flow.3.1.6 polymera substance consisting of molecules charac-terized by the repetition (neglecting ends, branch junctions,other minor irregularities) of one or more types of monomericunits.4. Classific
22、ation4.1 The purpose of this specification is to establish stan-dards for identifying products and materials that will compostsatisfactorily in commercial and municipal composting facili-ties. Products meeting the requirements outlined below areappropriate for labeling as “compostable” in accordance
23、 withthe guidelines issued by the Federal Trade Commission.85. Basic Requirements5.1 In order to compost satisfactorily, a product or materialmust demonstrate each of the characteristics found in 5.1.1-5.1.3, and which are quantified in Section 6.5.1.1 Disintegration During CompostingA plastic prod-
24、uct or material will disintegrate during composting such thatany remaining plastic residuals are not readily distinguishablefrom the other organic materials in the finished product.Additionally, the material or product must not be found insignificant quantities during screening prior to final distri
25、butionof the compost.5.1.2 Inherent BiodegradationA level of inherent biodeg-radation shall be established by tests under controlled condi-tions, that are comparable to known compostable materials.5.1.3 No Adverse Impacts on Ability of Compost to SupportPlant GrowthThe tested materials shall not adv
26、ersely impacton the ability of composts to support plant growth, whencompared to composts using cellulose as a control, once thefinished compost is placed in soil. Additionally, the polymericproducts or materials must not introduce unacceptable levels ofheavy metals or other toxic substances into th
27、e environment,upon sample decomposition.NOTE 2For a better understanding of why these criteria are important,consult Guide D 6002 and Compost Facility Operating Guide,7andCEN/TC 261/SC4N99.6. Detailed Requirements6.1 In order to be identified as compostable, products mustpass the requirements of 6.2
28、, 6.3, and 6.4 using the appropriatelaboratory tests, representative of the conditions found inaerobic composting facilities. Test finished articles and prod-ucts in the same form as they are intended to be used. Forproducts that are made in multiple thicknesses or densities,such as films, container
29、s and foams, only the thickest or mostdense products need to be tested as long as the chemicalcomposition and structure remains otherwise the same. It isassumed that thinner gages and lower densities will alsocompost satisfactorily. Similarly, if additives are present in testsamples that pass testin
30、g, lower levels of the same additives aresimilarly passed.6.2 Disintegration During Composting:A plastic product is considered to have demonstrated satis-factory disintegration if after twelve weeks in a controlledcomposting test, no more than 10 % of its original dry weightremains after sieving on
31、a 2.0-mm sieve. Generate laboratorythermophilic composting conditions by performing TestMethod D 5338 without CO2trapping component, orISO 16929.6.3 Inherent Biodegradation:A plastic product must demonstrate a satisfactory rate ofbiodegradation by achieving one of the following ratios ofconversion t
32、o carbon dioxide found in 6.3.1 or 6.3.2 within thetime periods specified in 6.3.3 or 6.3.4, using Test MethodD 5338 as outlined in 7.3.1 and 7.3.3 of Guide D 6002:6.3.1 For products consisting of a single polymer (ho-mopolymers or random copolymers), 60 % of the organiccarbon must be converted to c
33、arbon dioxide by the end of thetest period when compared to the positive control.6.3.1.1 For products consisting of more than one polymer,each individual polymer component, present at more than 1 %concentration, must achieve the 60 % specification for ho-mopolymers, as described in 6.3.1.6.3.2 For p
34、roducts consisting of more than one polymer(block copolymers, segmented copolymers, blends, or additionof low molecular weight additives), 90 % of the organic carbonmust be converted to carbon dioxide by the end of the testperiod when compared to the positive control.6.3.3 For materials that are not
35、 radiolabeled, the test periodshall be no greater than 180 days.7Compost Facility Operating Guide, Composting Council, Alexandria, VA,1995.8Guidelines for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, Federal TradeCommission, Washington, DC, 1992.D64000426.3.4 If radiolabeled materials are used, then t
36、he test periodshall be no greater than 365 days.NOTE 3While the end points of biodegradation include incorporationinto biomass or humic substances as well as carbon dioxide, no recognizedstandard test methods and specifications exist to quantify these outcomes.When these tests and specifications bec
37、ome available, this standard will berevised.NOTE 4Plastic product test samples shall not be subjected to condi-tions designed to accelerate biodegradation, prior to testing in 6.3.6.4 Aplastic product can demonstrate satisfactory terrestrialand aquatic safety if it fulfills the requirements in 6.4.1
38、 and6.4.2:6.4.1 The plastic or product shall have concentrations ofregulated heavy metals less than 50 % of those prescribed forsludges or composts in the country where the product is sold.Specifically in the United States, the regulated heavy metalconcentrations are found in Table 3 of 40 CFR Part
39、503.13.InCanada, the regulated metals concentrations are found in TableII of the Trade Memorandum T-4-93.6.4.2 The germination rate and the plant biomass of thesample composts shall be no less than 90% that of thecorresponding blank composts for two different plant speciesfollowing OECD Guideline 20
40、8 with the modifications foundin Annex E of EN 13432.7. Sampling7.1 Sampling shall be conducted as indicated in the speci-fied test method.8. Specimen Preparation8.1 Specimen preparation shall be in accordance with thespecified test method.9. Marking and Labeling9.1 Marking and labeling shall confor
41、m to national andlocal regulations.10. Keywords10.1 biodegradable; compostable plastic; composting; de-gradable plastics; labelingSUMMARY OF CHANGESThis section identifies the location of selected changes to this specification. For the convenience of the user,Committee D20 has highlighted those chan
42、ges that may impact the use of this specification. This section mayalso include descriptions of the changes or reasons for the changes, or both.D6400-04(1) Most of the proposed changes are designed to harmonizethis specification with the wording used in the newer standard,Specification D 6868 - 03.
43、This is the rationale for the changesin Sections 6.2; 6.3.1; 6.3.2, 6.4 and 6.4.2. There are nochanges in the rates of biodegradation and disintegration.(2) The change in 6.4.1 recognizes that regulated metalsstandards are different in the US and Canada. Now that thisstandard is being used by Canadi
44、an organizations, such asEcoLabel, it is appropriate to add these heavy metal require-ments.(3) Note 4 is recommended in order to minimize the possibilityof confusion on sample preparation. For example, the proposedASTM Guide for Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics calls for the useof accelerated testing con
45、ditions to promote oxidation prior tobiodegradation. The use of these techniques is not appropriatefor this specification.ASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentionedin this standard. Users of this standard are expre
46、ssly advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights, and the riskof infringement of such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every five years andif not revised
47、, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited either for revision of this standard or for additional standardsand should be addressed to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of theresponsible technical committee, which you may a
48、ttend. If you feel that your comments have not received a fair hearing you shouldmake your views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, at the address shown below.This standard is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959,United States. Individual reprints (single or multiple copies) of this standard may be obtained by contacting ASTM at the aboveaddress or at 610-832-9585 (phone), 610-832-9555 (fax), or serviceastm.org (e-mail); or through the ASTM website(www.astm.org).D6400043
