Green Tip: The Closed-Bottle-Test |
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| Written by Administrator |
| Tuesday, 12 May 2009 19:00 |
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The Closed-Bottle-Test (CBT) or the Organisation for the Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) 301 D symbol guarantees that at least 60% of the product is biodegradable within 28 days according to the OECD standards. Due to the large number of chemicals used in society, an approach that keeps the cost of testing to a minimum, while providing regulators with adequate knowledge for decision making and environmental protection, resulted in the issuance of the Test Guidelines for Degradation and Accumulation Testing in December 1979 by the OECD. You can read more on the OECD here: http://www.oecd.org/home/ For the analytical reader: the system for testing for biodegradability allows for the preliminary screening of chemicals using simple tests, and allows for the identification of those chemicals for which more detailed and costly studies are needed. The system consists of three screening tiers: ready biodegradability, inherent biodegradability, and simulation tests. Tests may be subdivided according to the environment they are designed to simulate: a) aerobic, b) anaerobic, c) river, d) lake, e) estuary, f) sea, and g) soil. For the 301 D test, a predetermined amount of the compound is dissolved in a mineral nutrient solution, and kept in closed bottles, without any stirring, in the dark, at a constant temperature. The degradation is followed by oxygen analyses over a 28-day period. In general, degradation of organic chemicals in seawater is found to be slower than that in freshwater, activated sludge, and sewage effluent. For everyone else: to simplify, purchasing products with the CBT symbol shows that when disposed of, at least 60% of the product will biodegrade within 28 days. This equates to less overall pollution and less waste added to the landfill! So keep an eye out for this symbol:
Posted by Myschka
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| Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 May 2009 07:19 |
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Now this I didn't know before. 