IS/ISO 14855-1: Determination of ultimate aerobic diodegradability of plastic materials under controlled compositing conditions - Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide, Part 1: General method

2005·10.1 MB·English

by  Bureau of Indian Standards

इंटरनेट मानक
Disclosure to Promote the Right To Information
Whereas the Parliament of India has set out to provide a practical regime of right to
information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities,
in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority,
and whereas the attached publication of the Bureau of Indian Standards is of particular interest
to the public, particularly disadvantaged communities and those engaged in the pursuit of
education and knowledge, the attached public safety standard is made available to promote the
timely dissemination of this information in an accurate manner to the public.
“जान1 का अ+धकार, जी1 का अ+धकार” “प0रा1 को छोड न’ 5 तरफ”
Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan Jawaharlal Nehru
“The Right to Information, The Right to Live” “Step Out From the Old to the New”
IS/ISO 14855-1 (2005): Determination of ultimate aerobic
diodegradability of plastic materials under controlled
compositing conditions - Method by analysis of evolved
carbon dioxide, Part 1: General method [PCD 21: Plastics
Containers]
“!ान $ एक न’ भारत का +नम-ण”
Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda
““IInnvveenntt aa NNeeww IInnddiiaa UUssiinngg KKnnoowwlleeddggee””
“!ान एक ऐसा खजाना > जो कभी च0राया नहB जा सकता हहहहै””ै”
Bhartṛhari—Nītiśatakam
“Knowledge is such a treasure which cannot be stolen”

151150 14855-1 : 2005

~ ~ if ~ ~IJim ~ ~
ftflcq:)
(~) ~ ~ ma- \3~"1 ~
3ilCRft q:){'11 -
mm-
~3ilCRfI~S ~ ~
ID"U
Indian Standard
DETERMINATION OF THE ULTIMATE AEROBIC
BIODEGRADABILITY OF PLASTIC MATERIALS UNDER
CONTROLLED COMPOSTING CONDITIONS
METHOD BY ANALYSIS OF EVOLVED
CARBON DIOXIDE
PART 1 GENERAL METHOD
ICS 83.010.01
eBIS 2009

BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS
MANAK BHAVAN. 9 BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR MARG
NEWDELHI110002
January 2009 PriceGroup9
Plastics SectionalCommittee, PCD 12
NATIONAlFORE'NORD
This Indian Standard (Part 1) which is identical with ISO 14855-1 :2005 'Determination of the ultimate
aerobicbiodegradabilityof plasticmaterialsundercontrolledcompostingconditions- Methodbyanalysis
of evolved carbon dioxide - Part 1: General method' issued by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO)wasadoptedbytheBureauofIndianStandardsonthe recommendationofthePlastics
SectionalCommitteeand approvalofthe Petroleum,Coal and RelatedProductsDivisionCouncil.
The text of ISO Standard has been approved as suitable for publication as an Indian Standard without
deviations.C~rtain conventions are, however,not identicalto those used in Indian Standards.Attention is
particularlydrawn tothe following:
a) Whereverthewords'InternationalStandard'appearreferringtothis standard,they shouldbereadas
'IndianStandard'.
b) Comma(,)hasbeen usedasadecimal markerintheInternationalStandardwhile inIndianStandard,
thecurrent practiceistouseapoint (.)asthe decimal marker.
Thetechnicalcommitteeresponsibleforthepreparationofthis standardhas reviewedtheprovisionsofthe
following International Standards and decided that they are acceptable for use in conjunction with this
standard:
InternationalStandard . Title ·
ISO5663:1984 Waterquality- DeterminationofKjeldahlnitrogen- Methodaftermineralization
withselenium .
ISO8245:1999 Waterquality- Guidelinesforthe determinationoftotal organiccarbon(TOC)
and dissolvedorganiccarbon(DOC)
In reporting the results of a test or analysis made in accordance with this standard, if the final value,
observedor calculated. is to be rounded off, itshall be done in accordance with IS 2 : 1960 'Rules for
roundingoffnumericalvalues(revised'/.
ISIISO 14855-1 :2005
Indian Standard
DETERMINATION OF THE ULTIMATE AEROBIC
BIODEGRADABILITY OF PLASTIC MATERIALS UNDER
CONTROLLED COMPOSTING CONDITIONS
METHOD BY ANALYSIS OF EVOLVED
CARBON DIOXIDE
PART 1 GENERAL METHOD
WARNING- Sewage, activated sludge, soli and compost ~y contain potentially pathogenic
organisms. Therefore appropriate precautions should be taken when handling them. Toxle test
compoundsandthosewhosepropertiesareunknownshould be handledwithca!'lt.
1 Scope
This part of ISO14855 specifies a method for the determination of the ultimate eerobc blOdegradabtllty of
plastics, based on organic compounds, under controlled composting coodmons by measurement of the
amountof carbon dioxide evolved and the degreeof dislntegralion of the ptasnc at the end ofthe test nus
methodis designed to simulate typical aerobiccomposting conditions for the organIC fractIonof solid mixed
municipalwaste Thetest matenalisexposedtoaninoculumwhich ISdenvedfromcompost Thecompostlng
takes place in an environment wherein temperature, aeration and humidity are dosely monitored and
controlled.Thetestmethod isdestgnedtoyieldthepercentageconverSIOnofthecarbonInthetestmatenalto
evolvedcarbondioxideaswell astherateofconversion.
Subclauses 8.6 and 8.7 specify a variant of the method, uSInga mineral bed (vemllculite) Inoculated With
thermoph~ic microorganisms obtained from compost with a specific aetrvabon phase. instead of mature
compost.Thisvariantisdesignedtoyieldthe percentageofcarboninthetest substanceconvertedtocaI'bon
dioxideandtherateofconversion.
The conditionsdescribed inthis part of ISO1.855 maynotalwayscorrespond totheoptimum conditions for
themaximumdegreeofbiodegradationtooccur.
2 Nonnativereferences
The foIowing refeI'enoed documentsare indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, aNy the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenoed
document(ncIudlnganyamendments)applies.
ISO5663:1984, Water qutl1ity - Determination 01 Kjeldahl nitrog&n - Method 8fter mineralzation wilIJ
IIJeItHrium
ISO82045:1999,Waterquality- Guidelinesforthedetermination01totBiorrJ81'iccarbon(TOe)anddi&IIo/wtd
organiccarbon(DOC)

1
ISIISO 14855-1 :2005
3 Terms anddefinitions
Forthepurposesofthisdocument,the followingtermsanddefinitionsapply.
3.1
ultlmaaa.roblcbiodegradation
the breakdown of an organic compound by microorganisms in the presence of oxygen into carbon dioxide,
waterandmineral salts of anyotherelementspresent(mineralization)plus new biomass
3.2
compostlng
anaerobicprocessdesignedtoproducecompost
NOTE Compost is an organic soil conditioner obtained by biodegradation of a mixture consisting principally of
vegetableresidues,occasionallywithotherorganicmaterial,andhaving alimitedmineral content.
3.3
disintegration
thephysicalbreakdownofamaterialintovery small fragments
3.4
totaldrysol..
theamount of solids obtained by taking a known volume of test material or compost and drying at about
105·Ctoconstantmass
3.5
volatilesolids
theamountofsolids obtainedby subtractingthe residue of a known volume of test material or compost after
incinerationatabout550·Cfromthetotal drysolidsofthesamesample
NOTE l1le~contlntIIanindication ofthe amountoforganicmatterpresent.
1.1
tMorMIcaIlmOUntofevolvedcarbondloxld.
1llCOa
themaxinumtheoretical amountofcarbon dioxideevolvedaftercompletely oxidizing a chemical compound,
caIcuI8tedfromthemolecularfonnulaand expressedas milligramsofcarbondioxideevolvedper milligramor
grMIoftellcampound
...
.,...
U
the time. measured in days, from the start of a test until adaptation and/or selection of the degrading
micrOOf'g8llismsls8Chievedandthe degreeofbiodegradationof achemical compoundor organicmatterhas
IllCieaedtoaut10%ofthemaxlmU11levelofbiodegradation
U
............,..ofbiodegnldIdIon
lie __ ofbiodegr8ddon, meaured in per cent. of a chemical compound or organic matterin a test.
8bcMwhIctlnofurtherbiodegradationtakesplaceduringthetest
*........,.,....
11
thetime. meesuredindays. fromthe endofthe lag phaseof atestuntilabout90%ofthe maximumlevel of
biclcIIgraWioohasbeenrea:hed
.3...1..0....
,.-.
thetime.me8IUredindays.fromtheendofthebiodegradationphaseuntilthe endofatest
111
KtIv*d~
~colonizedbyenactivemlcrobilllpopula tionduring8 preliminarygrowthphase
2
ISIISO 14855-1 :2005
4 Principle
The test method determinesthe ultimate biodegradabilityand degree of disintegration oftest m......under
conditions simulating an intensive aerobic composting process. The inoculum used consists of atMliiled.
maturecompostderived. ifpossible. from composbng theorganICfraction ofsolid municipalwaste.
The test material is mixed with the inoculum and introduced into a static composting veneI wt.e It II
intensively composted under optimum oxygen. temperature and moisture conditIOnS for • test period nee
exceeding 6months.
During the aerobic biodegradationof the test material. carbon dioxide. water, mineral salts and newmictobiel
cellular constituents (biomass) are the ultimate biodegradation products The carbon dioxide produced is
continuously monitored. or measured at regular intervals. in test and blank Io'e$sels to determine the
cumulative carbon dioxide production. The percentage biodegradation is given by the ratio of the carbon
dioxide produced from the test material to the maximum theoretical amount of carbon dioxide that can be
produced from the test material. The maximum theoretical amount of carbon dioxide produced is calculated
fromthe measuredtotal organiccarbon (TOC)content. The percentage biodegradationdoesneeincludethat
amount ofcarbon convertedto newcellbiomasswhichisnotmetabolized intumtocarbondioxideduring the
courseofthetest.
Additionally. the degree of disintegrationofthe test materialisdetermined at theend of the test. and the lou
inmass ofthetestmaterialmayalso bedetermined.
Vermiculite should beused instead ofmature compost
a) wheneverthe determinationofthe degree ofbiodegradation isaffected byapriming ef'f8Clinducedbythe
testmaterial
and/or
b) when performing a final carbon balance with biomass determination and retrieval of the I"eIidUIII ....
material.
The vermiculite bed. being inorganic. substantiallyreducestheprimingeltect. thus improvingthe~of
themethod. Afurther advantageof using vermiculiteisthe very smallamountofcarbon dioxideCM:lNedInthe
blank vessels (nearly zero). because of the low level of mit::robial activity. This permits low kMIIs of
degradationactivity tobeevaluated precisely.
Themineralizationratesobtainedwith the activated vermiculite are identical. or verysimilar, tothoseobtained
withmature compost, both intermsofthe finaldegradationlevel andthe degradationrate
5 Test environment
Incubation shall be in the darit or in diffused light, in an endoaure or room maintained at a oo....,nt
temperatureof58·C ±2·Candfree fromvapoursinhibitorytomicroorganisms
Inspecial cases. ego when the meltingpoint ofthetest material is low. anothertemperature maybec:hoMn.
Thistemperature shallbe kept constant during thetest towithin ±2cC. Any change intem~ IheI be
justifiedandcleartyindicatedinthe test report.
6 Rngents
6.1 TLC(thln-l.yerchromatography)gradecelluloM
Use TLC (thin-layer chromatography) grade cetlulose with a partide size of .... then 20..." • ..
positive-Q)ntroreferencematerial
ISI1SO 14855-1 : 2005
6.2 Vennlculite
Vermiculite isaclaymineral used forbUildingpurposes,Knowntobe part~cularlysuitable as amicrobial carri~r.
allowing survival andfull activity of microbes. The composition of the native minerai, before heat treatment.IS
AJ.P310%.MgO 30%,CaO 5%,Si0250%and combined,H20 5%.When.the ~lOeralls sUbJecte~ tohe~t
treatment.it losesthe combined water and expands, giVIng expanded vermiculite .Expanded vermiculite In
flake form shall be used. Expanded vermiculite has a large capacity for water storage, and a water content
comparablewiththat ofmaturecompostcan beobtainedinthe bed.
Vermiculite canbeclassifiedintothree types,asfollows:
"CoocffJte' type: apparent density 80kg/m3±16kg/m3 (at the time the material is put into sacks); partide
size:80%between 12mm and4 mm,2%passingthrougha0,5 mm sieve.
"Medium"type: apparent density 90kg/m3±16kg/m3; particle size: 80 % between 6 mm and 1mm, 2%
passingthrough a0,5 mm sieve.
'Fine" type: apparent density 100kg/m3±20kg/m3; particle size: 80% between 3mm and 0,7mm, 5%
passing through a0,5 mm sieve.
Forthepurposes ofthispart ofISO 14855.theconcretetype isused.f
7 Apparatus
Ensure thatallglasswareisthoroughlycleaned and, in particular,free from organicortoxicmatter.
7.1 Compostingvessels:Glassflasks orbottlesthat allowaneven gas purgeinan upwarddirection.
AminimumlI'Olumeof 21itres isrequiredto meetthe requirements specifiedin 8.2and 8.3.Depending on the
testmaterial,asmallervotumemay be used for screening purposes.Ifthe loss in massof the test material is
tobedetermined,weigheach compostingvessel empty.
7.2 Air.upply system. capable of supplying each composting vessel with dry or water-saturated, if
required carbon-dioxi<le-free, air at a pre-set flow rate which shall be high enough to provide truly aerobic
conditionsduringthetest (seeexamplegiven inAnnexA).
7.3 Apparatus for the de1annlMtion ofcarbon dioxide, designedtodeterminecarbon dioxidedirectlyor
by complete absorption in a basicsolution and determination of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) (see
example given in AnnexA). If the carbon dioxide in the exhaust air is measured directly. for example with a
continuous infrared analyser or a gas chromatograph. exact control or measurement of the air-flow rate is
required.
7.4 Gas-tlght tubes, to connect the composling vessels with the air supply and the carbon dioxide
measurementsystem.
7.5 pH-meter.
7.1 Analytical equipment for the determination of dry solids (at 105DC), volatile solids (at 550 DC)and
Iotalorganiccarbon(TOC),for elementalanalysisofthe test materialand. ifrequired.forthe determinationof
dissolvedinorganiccarbon(Ole).
1) A possible SOUfte of this type of lIeI'ITIiculite is BPS pic, Park House, 15 Beth Road. Slough SL13UF. UK
lw!rwbob·com)·ThisinfonnatIonisgiven forthecorwenienc:eofusersofthispartofISO14855anddoesnotCOMtilute
WIendorsementbyISOofthesourcenamed.
4
IS/ISO 14855-1 :2005
7.7 Balance (optional), to measurethe mass of test vessels containing compost and test matenai, whIChIS
normallyInthe range between 3kg and 5kg
7.8 Analytical equipment(optional),for thedeterminationof oxygen Inthe au rnoisture. volatue fatty aCids
and total nitrogen (eg bythe Kjeidahlmethod asspecfiedIn ISO 5663)
7.9 Bioreactors for activation ofthe vermiculite, Containers, wrth a volumebetween 51and 20I,whICh
are not actively aerated, The containers shall be dosed in such a way asto avoid excessivedryIng out of the
contents, Openings shall, however, be provided to allow gas exchange with the atmosphere and ensure
aerobicconditionsthroughoutthe activation phase
An example of a suitable bioreactor is abox, made of polypropylene or another sUItable matellai,haVIngthe
following dimensions: 30 cm y 20em)( 10em(I,w,h) The box snanhave a tightly fitting lid In order to avoid
excessive loss of watervapour. In the middleof the two 20-cm-W1deSides, a hole 5mm Indiameter shall be
made at aheight of about6,5 emfrom the bottom of the box. It ISthese two holeswhIChallow gas exchaf1ge
betweenthe atmosphereinsidethe box and the outsideenvironment
8 Procedure
8.1 Preparationofthe inoculum
Well aeratedcompostfrom apropertyoperating aerobiccomposting plant shall be used as the Inoculum The
inoculum shall be homogeneous and free from large inert objects such as glass, stones or pIeceSof metal
Removethemmanuallyandthensievethe composton ascreenof about 0,5 emto 1em
0'
NOTE 1 Itisrecommendedthatcompostfrom aplantcompO$bngtheorgamcfrachOn solidmunICIPalwastebeused
inordertoensuresufficientdiversityofmicroorganisms Theageofthe compostshould preferablybe be~ 2 and•
months Ifsuchcompostisnotavailable,compostfromplantstreatlf1g gardenorfarmyardwasteor mn<furesof gilrden
wasteandsolidmunicipalwastemaybe used
NOTE 2 ItISrecommendedthatcompostwithsuffICIentporositybeU$edtoenableaerOOtCcondltlOOstobe maIntaIned
asmuchaspossible.Additionofstructuralmalenalsuchas$/TlaUwood partICleSorInertorpoorlybIOdegradablematenat
maypreventthecompostslickinglogetherandcloggingdUringthe test
Determinethe total drysolidsand the volatile-solids contentof the inoculum The total dry solidscontent shall
be between 50 % and 55 % of the wet solids and the volatile solids no more than about 15% of the wet Of
30% of the dry solids Adjustthe watercontent, if necessary, beforethe compost IS used by addIng waterOf
gentledrying, e,g,by aeratingthe compostWithdry air
Preparea mixtureof 1part of inoculum with 5parts of deionized water MIX by shal<lngand measurethe pH
immediately,Itshall be between7,0 and 9,0.
NOTE 3 Forfurthercharadenzalion ofthe inoculum,SUItableparameterssucn 3Sthe contentoftolalorganICcarbon
total nitrogenorfattyacidscan optionaMybedetermInedatthe beginningandtheendotthelest
Check the activity of the inoculum dUring the test by means of a biodegradable reference matertal (see
Clause6) and by measuringthecarbondioxideevolutioninthe blankvessels The referencemalenalshall be
degraded by 70 % or moreat the end of the test (see Clause 10) The inoculum in the blank shall produce
between50mgand 150mgofcarbon dioxidepergramofvolatile solidsover the first 10daysofthetest(see
Clause10), Ifthe production ofcarbon dioxide is too high,stabilize the compost by aeratIOn for severatdays
beforeusingitinanewtest IftheactivityIStoo low, useanothercompostfor the Inoculum,
8.2 Preparationoftestmaterialand referencematerial
Determinethetotal organiccarbon (TOC) ofthe test materialand the reference matenat USingeg.ISO8245
andreportit,preferably,asgr.-nsofTOC per gram oftotaldry solids. Alternatively.provided the materialsdo
not c:ontein inorp1iccartlon, it is possible todetermine the carbon content by elemental an8/y$is. The test

5