How does the Reverte™ Oxo-biodegradable technology work?
Reverte™ is an additive technology introduced in the manufacturing process of a variety of plastic (polyethylene and polypropylene) packaging and applications. The programmable degradation is triggered by UV and thermo-oxidation, meaning once the additive is activated, the presence of oxygen causes the plastic to have a reduction of molecular weight and become very brittle. These fragments decompose further into simple elements: carbon dioxide, water and biomass. Heat, sunlight and mechanical stress (i.e. movement) accelerate this degradation process. As the long carbon and hydrogen chains of plastic become shorter and shorter and are now able to incorporate oxygen into their chemical make-up, it is at this point that the plastic turns into organic functional groups (ketones, carboxylic acids, alcohols etc) that attract water. These transformations (to smaller chains in the presence of oxygen and water) create the conditions for the second stage of biodegradation: microbial digestion.
