How plastic affects water
Green Cycle is among the pioneers worldwide with this certificate, which guarantees both the solubility in seawater of the material with which it manufactures its products, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and its complete biodegradation in the environment.
In addition to being water-soluble, biodegradable, compostable and non-toxic, the extraordinary barrier properties to oxygen and other gases of the GreenCycles® material contribute to improving the efficiency and sustainability of multilayer biodegradable packaging.
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Every analysis of a plastic begins with preliminary tests. In addition to observing characteristics such as solubility, density, softening and melting behavior, heating in a combustion tube (pyrolysis test) and in the flame (flame test) is very important.
Due to the high molecular weight of the polymers it is necessary to chop the sample as finely as possible. If the sample is difficult to cut, it can be frozen with carbonic snow or liquid nitrogen, which will make it glassy, more brittle and easier to cut.
Among the many plastic solvents, the most widely used are benzene, tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide, diethyl ether, acetone and formic acid. In certain cases, chloroethylene, ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol, toluene, hydrocarbons and even acids or bases are often used.
Nylon has a high breaking strength, high elasticity and low density. It melts at temperatures of around 260 ºC and softens at 180 ºC. By condensation polymerization, a filamentous, whitish paste is obtained, which becomes elastic and resistant when cooled. It burns smoothly and melts. It is quite stable against chemical agents.
Plastic that dissolves in water
Inorganic waste represents a fundamental problem: it does not degrade easily in nature. If we know how long it takes for some of the materials we throw away every day to disappear, we will better understand the importance of recycling them.
Inorganic waste is waste that does not come from biological sources. They are, however, products obtained by industrial processes. The degradation time of inorganic waste, when it is deposited in the natural environment, is so long that it is vital to promote initiatives to raise public awareness of the importance of disposing of inorganic waste correctly. If you want to know how long it takes for chewing gum to degrade or how long it takes the Earth to dispose of a plastic bottle, read on.
Bags that dissolve in water where to buy
We continue. You go to work and buy a snack from the vending machine. Lunch is very important. You repeat the same process for lunch. After a full day of meetings and reports, you go shopping and what do you find? More plastic. The fruit and vegetable bags, the containers, the gloves… How much plastic are we carrying? We are definitely awash in the stuff.
Although it may sound counterproductive, plastic is one of the best inventions in history as it preserves food, saves lives due to its regular use in the health sector, plays a fundamental role in home and building security systems, guarantees the protection of certain products against external agents, saves 60% of water when used in drip irrigation systems…
In our daily life we use several water-soluble products even though we do not realize it. The easiest example, as I said at the beginning, may be to use a capsule that is put directly into the dishwasher and melts on its own. Many products, such as detergent, come wrapped in a kind of plastic that we sometimes hesitate to remove until we check the instructions on the package that indicate that it is not necessary and, without realizing it, we find ourselves with a water-soluble product.