Waterra are pleased to introduce our new range of BioBailers™ - disposable bailers that biodegrade* away to plant food when discarded into landfill after use.
The new BioBailers™ from Waterra are made to the same quality as our traditional disposable bailers and are laboratory tested to the same high standards. But once discarded in a landfill, BioBailers™ degrade to plant food.
* Biodegradation in a landfill has been verified by independent laboratory testing using ASTM D5511
What is Biodegradation?
Biodegradation is the secretion of acids by microbes which break down the molecular structure and emit either methane gas or CO2 and leave behind highly nitrous soil. The entire mass must be broken down into these three things to be considered biodegradable.
What makes the BioBailers™ biodegradable*?
Our biodegradable* bailers use a small amount of a third party engineered additive added to the material to entice microbes to attack the material once discarded into a landfill. The additive has passed the FDA review to be suitable for packaging of food products. It is completely organic, non-starch based and non destructive to the environment.
How long will it take BioBailers™ to degrade?
The biodegradation time of a product depends on a variety of factors including thickness of plastic and moistness of landfill environment, and can take 1-5 years. The main point is that after some time, the product will no longer be around.
What are the products of biodegradation?
In a composting or oxygen rich environment, the products are CO2, water and humus (biomass) which can make a good fertilizer. In an anaerobic environment, (such as deep in a landfill) the products of biodegradation are methane (CH4) and humus (biomass).
Is there any toxic residue left after biodegradation?
No. There is no toxic residue when the BioBailer™ decomposes.
Will the BioBailers™ start to degrade before they are used?
No. The BioBailers™ will only start to biodegrade once they are put into a microbial rich environment such as a landfill. Before that the BioBailer™ retains all its original properties.
Does the additive affect the parent materials?
The base resin retains all of its original properties and shelf life. Recyclability of the product is completely unaffected and the recycling number remains the same. The final product is essentially indistinguishable from the non biodegradable current product. But when it’s finally discarded to a landfill it will return to the cycle of life.
Is the additive safe?
Yes, the BioBailers™ are quite safe. In fact, food packaging film made with EcoPure additive is FDA compliant for food contact applications.
Can the additive leach out of the plastic?
BioBailers™ have been tested for non-leaching using the SPLP EPA 1312 extraction process followed by analysis using EPA 8260 for volatiles and EPA 8270 for semi-volatiles. This is a long duration test of 18 hours, which greatly exceeds the expected use time of a disposable bailer.
What is the ASTM D5511 test?
Biodegradation occurs through naturally-occurring micro-organisms and happens in both aerobic (compost) and anaerobic (landfill) environments. Once in a landfill and covered a few meters, the conditions become anaerobic. Hence the need for the ASTM D5511 test. This is a test method for determining anaerobic biodegradation of plastic materials under high-solids anaerobic-digestion conditions.
For more information and to order BioBailers call our technical sales team on +44 121 733 7743 today.
Waterra weighted PE environmentally friendly disposable BioBailers™ are an alternative to clearview PVC bailers enabling simple collection of water samples from boreholes.
BioBailers
Bailers
Biodegradable Bailers
