1、Designation: D 6868 03Standard Specification forBiodegradable Plastics Used as Coatings on Paper andOther Compostable Substrates1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 6868; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revi
2、sion, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This specification covers biodegradable plastics andproducts (including packaging), where plastic f
3、ilm or sheet isattached (either through lamination or extrusion directly ontothe paper) to substrates and the entire product or package isdesigned to be composted in municipal and industrial aerobiccomposting facilities.1.2 This specification is intended to establish the require-ments for labeling o
4、f materials and products, including pack-aging, using coatings of biodegradable plastics, as “com-postable in municipal and industrial composting facilities.”1.3 The properties in this specification are those required todetermine if products (including packaging) using plastic filmsor sheets will co
5、mpost satisfactorily, including biodegrading ata rate comparable to known compostable materials. Further,the properties in the specification are required to assure that thedegradation of these materials will not diminish the value orutility of the compost resulting from the composting process.1.4 Th
6、is standard does not describe contents or their perfor-mance with regard to compostability or biodegradability.1.5 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
7、 use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standardto establish appropriate 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:D 883 Termi
8、nology Relating to Plastics2D 5338 Test Method for Determining Aerobic Biodegrada-tion of Plastic Materials Under Controlled CompostingConditions3D 6002 Guide for Assessing the Compostability of Environ-mentally Degradable Plastics3D 6400 Specification for Compostable Plastics32.2 Organization for E
9、conomic Development (OECD)Standard:OECD Guideline 208 Terrestrial Plants, Growth Test42.3 Comite Europeen de Normalisation (CEN):EN 13432 Packaging-Requirements for Packaging Recov-erable through Composting and Biodegradation-TestScheme and Evaluation Criteria for the Final Acceptanceof Packaging52.
10、4 ISO Standards:5ISO 14851 Determination of the ultimate aerobic biode-gradability of plastic materials in an aqueous mediumMethod by measuring the oxygen demand in a closedrespirometerISO 14852 Determination of the ultimate aerobic biode-gradability of plastic materials in an aqueous mediumMethod b
11、y analysis of evolved carbon dioxideISO 14855 Evaluation of the Ultimate Aerobic Biodegrad-ability and Disintegration of Plastics under ControlledComposting Conditions-Method by Analysis of EvolvedCarbon DioxideISO 16929 Determination of the degree of disintegration ofplastic materials under defined
12、 composting conditions in apilot-scale test2.5 Government Standard:40 CFR Part 503.13 Standards for the Use or Disposal ofSewage Sludge63. Terminology3.1 Definitions: Definitions-Definitions appearing in thisspecification are found in Terminology D 883, unless otherwisenoted.1This specification is u
13、nder the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D20 onPlastics and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D20.96 on Environmen-tally Degradable Plastics.Current edition approved June 10, 2003. Published August 2003.2Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 08.01.3Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 08.03.4Av
14、ailable from Organization for Economic Development, Director of Informa-tion, 2 rue Andre Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France.5Available from American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St.,4th Floor, New York, NY 10036.6Code of Federal Regulations, available from U.S. Government Print
15、ing Office,Washington, DC 20402.1Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.3.1.1 biodegradable plastica degradable plastic in whichthe degradation results from the action of naturally occurringmicroorganisms such as bacteria, fu
16、ngi, and algae.3.1.2 compostable 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 composti
17、nga managed process that controls 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
18、a controlled process of biooxi-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 ma
19、terial recovered frommunicipal 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
20、 loss of some propertiesthat may be measured by standard test methods appropriate tothe plastic and the application in a period of time thatdetermines its classification.3.1.5 materials of natural originChemically unmodifiedpackaging materials and constituents of natural origin, such aswood, wood fi
21、bre, cotton fibre, starch, paper pulp or jute.3.1.6 plastica material that contains as an essential ingre-dient one or more organic polymeric substances of largemolecular weight, is solid in its finished state, and, at somestage in its manufacture or processing into finished articles, canbe shaped b
22、y flow.3.1.7 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. Classification4.1 The purpose of this specification is to establish stan-dards for identifying products an
23、d materials, where biodegrad-able plastic is used as a coating on a compostable or biode-gradable substrate that will compost satisfactorily incommercial and municipal composting facilities. Productsmeeting the requirements outlined below are appropriate forlabeling as “compostable” in accordance wi
24、th the guidelinesissued by the Federal Trade Commission.75. 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 product ormateri
25、al will disintegrate during composting such that anyremaining residuals (plastic or substrate) are not readilydistinguishable from the other organic materials in the finishedproduct. Additionally, the material or product must not befound in significant quantities during screening prior to finaldistr
26、ibution of the compost.5.1.2 Inherent BiodegradationA level of inherent biodeg-radation for the plastic coatings shall be established by testsunder controlled conditions, that are comparable to knowncompostable materials.5.1.3 No Adverse Impacts on Ability of Compost to SupportPlant GrowthAfter inco
27、rporation with soils, the tested prod-ucts or materials shall not adversely impact on the ability ofcomposts to support plant growth, when compared to compostsderived from biowaste without any addition of test or referencematerials. Additionally, the polymeric products or other mate-rials must not i
28、ntroduce unacceptable levels of heavy metals orother toxic substances into the environment, upon sampledecomposition.NOTE 2For a better understanding of why these criteria are important,the reader should consult Guide D 6002, Compost Facility OperatingGuide,8and EN 13432.6. Detailed Requirements6.1
29、In order to be identified as compostable, products mustpass the requirements of 6.2, 6.3, and 6.4 using the appropriatelaboratory tests, representative of the conditions found inaerobic composting facilities. Products and finished articlesshall be tested in the same form as they are intended to be u
30、sed.For products that are made in multiple thicknesses or densities,such as films, containers 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 als
31、ocompost satisfactorily. Similarly, if additives are present in testsamples that pass testing, lower levels of the same additives aresimilarly passed.6.2 Disintegration During CompostingA product, havinga plastic coating, is considered to have demonstrated satisfac-tory disintegration if after twelv
32、e weeks in controlled compost-ing test, no more than 10 % of its original dry weight remainsafter sieving on a 2.0-mm sieve. The use of Test MethodD 5338, without the carbon dioxide-trapping component, orISO 16929 are suitable methods of generating laboratorythermophilic composting conditions.6.3 In
33、herent BiodegradationA product, having a plasticcoating(s) is considered to have demonstrated inherent biode-gradability if the criteria in sections 6.3.1 and 6.3.2 are met orexceeded.6.3.1 The plastic coating must meet the specifications inASTM D 6400.6.3.2 The substrates are to individually demons
34、trate that90 % of the organic carbon is converted to carbon dioxideusing Test Method D 5338 within a 180 days at 58C (62C),7Guidelines for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, Federal TradeCommission, Washington, DC, 1992.8Compost Facility Operating Guide, Composting Council, Alexandria, VA,19
35、95.D6868032when compared to the positive control. The testing methodshall be Test Method D 5338 unless it is inappropriate for thetype and properties of the material. As an alternative, onlyinternationally recognized standardized tests, which conclu-sively demonstrate biodegradability via microbial
36、assimilationof the test materials shall be used, in particular ISO14851:1999, ISO 14852:1999 and ISO 14855:1999.NOTE 3“Materials of Natural Origin” are accepted as being biode-gradable without testing, but shall be characterized to identify theirchemical composition, presence of heavy metals or othe
37、r hazardoussubstances, organic carbon content and total dry and volatile solids.6.4 No Adverse Impacts on Ability of Compost to SupportPlant GrowthIf a product with a plastic coating fulfills therequirements in 6.4.1 and in 6.4.2 it will have demonstratedsatisfactory terrestrial and aquatic safety.6
38、.4.1 The product shall have concentrations of heavy metalsless than 50 % of those prescribed in 40 CFR Part 503.13, and6.4.2 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 OE
39、CD Guideline 208 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 labeli
40、ng shall conform to national andlocal regulations.10. Keywords10.1 biodegradable; compostable packaging; compostableplastic; composting; degradable plastics; labelingASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentionedin thi
41、s standard. Users of this standard are expressly 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
42、 reviewed every five years andif not revised, 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 theresp
43、onsible technical committee, which you may attend. 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).D6868033
