Biodegradability

Are you planning to assess the biodegradable nature of your discharges or substances within the framework of REACH or the Biocide Directive?

Looking to emphasise the biodegradability of your products to your customers?

The laboratory Eurofins Ecotoxicologie France provides the support you need with these procedures by offering you a range of biodegradability assays.

What is biodegradability?

The biodegradability of an organic substance is its capacity to be broken down by a biological process (bacterial action) into simpler and smaller molecules (carbon dioxide, water, mineral salts, etc).

Biodegradability is one of the major parameters used to assess the environmental impact of substances or industrial discharges.

How do you measure biodegradability?

The tests proposed by Eurofins Ecotoxicologie France follow the standardised methods set out by the OECD. They are used to assess the biodegradability of an aerobic substance.

Depending on the method used, various parameters such as dissolved organic carbon, CO2 production or oxygen consumption, which provide information about the degradation of the test substance, are measured periodically during tests that are generally conducted over 28 days.

Our laboratory can also assist you in the characterising your packaging, plastic materials or composts.

• For the biodegradation of plastic materials in industrial composting: certification according to the NF EN 14995 standard.

• For the biodegradation of packaging in industrial composting: certification according to the NF EN 13432 standard.

• For the biodegradation of plastics in household composting: certification according to the NF T 51-800 standard.

The test protocol process can be broken down into the following 4 stages:

• Composition analysis of the sample: verification that the heavy metal concentrations do not exceed the thresholds of the NF EN 13432 standard.

• Biodegradability test according to ISO 14855: respirometry test and comparison with the reference cellulose.

• Disintegration test according to ISO 16929: test of the product's ability to fragment under the effect of composting (the acceptability threshold is that at least 90% of the initial mass passes through a 2 mm mesh sieve).

• OECD 208 ecotoxicity test: verification of the quality of the compost by observing germination and biomass.

Notes:

• Biodegradability tests can last up to 6 months and 12 months respectively for industrial and household composting conditions.

• Biodegradability tests can last up to 12 months and 6 months respectively for industrial and household composting conditions.

The method chosen depends on the physico-chemical properties of the substance to be analysed. Our experts will give you the support you need to choose the method suited to your requirements.

• OECD 302 B: Zahn-Wellens test

• OECD 302 C: Modified MITI test (II)

The method chosen depends on the physico-chemical properties of the substance to be analysed (solubility, volatility, adsorbability). Our experts will give you the support you need to choose the method suited to your requirements.

• OECD 301 A: Dissolved Organic Carbon die-away test

• OECD 301 B: Carbon dioxide release test

• OECD 301 D: Closed bottle test

• OECD 301 F: Oxygen consumption test

Related analyses

OECD 209: Activated sludge respiration inhibition
NF EN ISO 9509-2006: Inhibitory effect on nitrification by micro-organisms
NF EN ISO 9888: Hard COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand)

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