Marine Biodegradability Testing
topic
Marine biodegradability tests incubate textile specimens in filtered natural seawater with marine microbial inocula under defined salinity, temperature, and oxygenation conditions for up to 24 months, measuring CO2 evolution and biomass formation to calculate biodegradation percentage; ASTM D7473 and ISO 22403 define seawater biodegradability test conditions for plastic and biopolymer materials.
Role
Addresses the marine plastic pollution crisis by evaluating whether bio-based and biodegradable textile materials actually mineralise under the cold, nutrient-limited, UV-depleted conditions of open ocean environments, where many materials certified as industrially compostable show negligible biodegradation over ecologically relevant timeframes.