What is ISO 23832 about?
ISO 23832 specifies test methods for the measurement of the physical degradation of samples made with plastic materials when exposed to marine environmental matrices under aerobic conditions at a laboratory scale.
ISO 23832 describes three test methods for testing degradation. Plastics samples can be exposed to three different test conditions and different marine matrices:
- Buried into a wet sandy marine sediment
- At the interface between marine sandy sediment and the water column
- To seawater
Note: ISO 23832 is not suitable for the assessment of degradation caused by heat (thermo-degradation) or light exposure (photo-degradation).
Who is ISO 23832 for?
ISO 23832 on the determination of degradation rate and disintegration degree of plastic materials is useful for:
- Plastic manufacturers
- Marine industry
- Environmental and bio scientists
- Designers of products used in marine applications
Why should you use ISO 23832?
Plastics are potentially susceptible to ultimate biodegradation, i.e. to be decomposed by the actions of microorganisms under aerobic conditions into CO2, water, and biomass as can be proven with specific test methods. Biodegradation occurs at the surface of the plastics materials, i.e. at the solid-liquid interface. Microbes and enzymes cannot penetrate the solid plastic item, thus only the exposed surface is generally available for biodegradation.
ISO 23832 specifies the conditions applied in these test methods are designed to determine the degradation rates of plastics materials and give an indication of their propensity to physical degradation and disintegration in natural environments.
Degradation rates considered in ISO 23832 are mass loss rate, erosion rate, and mechanical properties loss. Disintegration, i.e. physical breakdown of a sample into very small fragments (<2mm), can also be assessed.
Thus, the degradation rates and degree of disintegration of plastic materials under laboratory conditions under ISO 23832 will help you avoid erosion of plastic that leads to thinning and weakening of the product. Indications of the plastic materials propensity to physical degradation and disintegration in natural environments will also enable you to improve quality and durability of the product while ensuring environment/marine protection.
