Compostable Polymer Materials

Compostable Polymer Materials deals with an environmentally important family of polymers designed to be disposed of in industrial and municipal compost facilities after their useful life. These compostable plastics undergo degradation and leave no visible, distinguishable or toxic residue. Environmental concerns and legislative measures taken in different regions of the world make composting an increasingly attractive route for the disposal of redundant polymers. This book provides up-to-date results and information about compostable polymer materials in a coherent and comprehensive manner. It covers the entire spectrum of preparation, properties, degradation, and environmental issues. The emphasis is on recent studies concerning compostability and ecotoxicological assessment of polymer materials--important issues from the ecological point of view. Moreover, the thermal behavior of compostable polymers is described. Their price evolution over the past decade, an estimation of the market and future perspectives are presented. Focus on the composting process, compostability standards, compost quality and composting studies Coherent and uniformly presented information about methods of preparation; properties, processing and applications Up-to-date information on ecotoxicity testing and studies of polymers Overview of thermal stability and thermal degradation process of compostable polymer materials Presents future perspectives of compostable polymers, including evolution of price during last decade Information about waste management evolution in Europe, USA and Asia (China) with emphasis on composting during the last decade