Plastics - Evaluation of compostability - Test scheme and specifications

This European Standard specifies requirements and procedures to determine the compostability or anaerobic treatability of plastic materials by addressing four characteristics:
I)      biodegradability,
II)      disintegration during biological treatment,
III)      effect on the biological treatment process and
IV)      effect on the quality of the resulting compost.
NOTE   For packaging EN 13432 applies.

Kunststoffe - Bewertung der Kompostierbarkeit - Prüfschema und Spezifikationen

Diese Europäische Norm legt Anforderungen und Verfahren fest zum Bestimmen der Kompostierbarkeit oder anaeroben Behandelbarkeit von Kunststoffmaterialien mit Hilfe folgender vier Eigenschaften:
1)   biologische Abbaubarkeit;
2)   Desintegration während der biologischen Behandlung;
3)   Auswirkung auf den biologischen Behandlungsprozess;
Auswirkung auf die Qualität des entstandenen Komposts.

Matieres plastiques - Evaluation de la compostabilité - Programme d'essais et spécifications

Polimerni materiali - Vrednotenje primernosti za kompostiranje - Preskusna shema in specifikacije

General Information

Status
Published
Publication Date
31-Mar-2007
Current Stage
6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
Start Date
01-Apr-2007
Due Date
01-Apr-2007
Completion Date
01-Apr-2007

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EN 14995:2007
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Standards Content (Sample)

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.Plastics - Evaluation of compostability - Test scheme and specificationsPolimerni materiali - Vrednotenje primernosti za kompostiranje - Preskusna shema in specifikacijeMatieres plastiques - Evaluation de la compostabilité - Programme d'essais et spécificationsKunststoffe - Bewertung der Kompostierbarkeit - Prüfschema und SpezifikationenTa slovenski standard je istoveten z:EN 14995:2006SIST EN 14995:2007en;fr;de83.080.01Polimerni materiali na splošnoPlastics in general13.030.99Drugi standardi v zvezi z odpadkiOther standards related to wastesICS:SLOVENSKI
STANDARDSIST EN 14995:200701-april-2007







EUROPEAN STANDARDNORME EUROPÉENNEEUROPÄISCHE NORMEN 14995December 2006ICS 13.030.99; 83.080.01 English VersionPlastics - Evaluation of compostability - Test scheme andspecificationsMatières plastiques - Evaluation de la compostabilité -Programme d'essais et spécificationsKunststoffe - Bewertung der Kompostierbarkeit -Prüfschema und SpezifikationenThis European Standard was approved by CEN on 9 November 2006.CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this EuropeanStandard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such nationalstandards may be obtained on application to the Central Secretariat or to any CEN member.This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translationunder the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the Central Secretariat has the same status as the officialversions.CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania,Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATIONCOMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATIONEUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNGManagement Centre: rue de Stassart, 36
B-1050 Brussels© 2006 CENAll rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reservedworldwide for CEN national Members.Ref. No. EN 14995:2006: E



EN 14995:2006 (E) 2 Contents Page Foreword.3 Introduction.4 1 Scope.5 2 Normative references.5 3 Terms and definitions.6 4 Requirements.6 5 Organization of a test scheme.8 6 Laboratory tests on biodegradability.8 7 Determination of disintegration.8 8 Quality of the final compost.9 Annex A (normative)
Evaluation criteria.11 Annex B (informative)
Flow chart of evaluation of organic recoverability of plastic materials.13 Annex C (informative)
Prerequisites and quality of compost for evaluating composting of plastic materials.17 Annex D (normative)
Determination of ecotoxic effects to higher plants.18 Bibliography.20



EN 14995:2006 (E) 3 Foreword This document (EN 14995:2006) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 249 "Plastics", the secretariat of which is held by IBN/BIN. This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by June 2007, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by June 2007. According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.



EN 14995:2006 (E) 4 Introduction This European Standard defines the requirements for plastic materials to be considered organically recoverable. It provides a framework which can be used to support claims of compostability of plastics. The approach of this European Standard is comparable to that of EN 13432 which defines the requirements for packaging materials. Organic recovery of used plastic materials is one of several recovery options within the overall life cycle of plastic materials. This European Standard presents a framework for assessment to determine whether the requirements of this European Standard have been met. Its approach is similar to that of systems standards such as the EN ISO 9000 and EN ISO 14000 series.



EN 14995:2006 (E) 5 1 Scope This European Standard specifies requirements and procedures to determine the compostability or anaerobic treatability of plastic materials by addressing four characteristics: I)
biodegradability, II)
disintegration during biological treatment, III)
effect on the biological treatment process and IV)
effect on the quality of the resulting compost. NOTE For packaging EN 13432 applies. 2 Normative references The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies. EN ISO 14851, Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in an aqueous medium - Method by measuring the oxygen demand in a closed respirometer (ISO 14851:1999)
EN ISO 14852, Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials in an aqueous medium — Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide (ISO 14852:1999) EN ISO 14855, Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability and disintegration of plastic materials under controlled composting conditions — Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide (ISO 14855:1999) ISO 16929, Plastics — Determination of the degree of disintegration of plastic materials under defined composting conditions in a pilot-scale test OECD Guidelines for Testing of Chemicals 208: Terrestrial Plants, Growth Test; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2 rue André Pascal, F - 75775 Paris



EN 14995:2006 (E) 6 3 Terms and definitions For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply. 3.1 constituent of a plastic material every pure chemical material or substance of which a plastic material is composed 3.2 disintegration physical falling apart into very small fragments of a plastic material 3.3 ultimate biodegradation breakdown of an organic chemical compound by microorganisms in the presence of oxygen to carbon dioxide, water and mineral salts or any other elements present (mineralization) and new biomass or in the absence of oxygen to carbon dioxide, methane, mineral salts and new biomass 3.4 total dry solids amount of solids obtained by taking a known amount of plastic material or compost and drying at about 105 °C to constant weight 3.5 volatile solids amount of solids obtained by subtracting the residues of a known amount of plastic material or compost after incineration at about 550 °C from the total dry solids content of the same sample. The volatile solids content is an indication of the amount of organic matter 4 Requirements 4.1
Control of constituents Constituents known to be, or expected to become, harmful to the environment during the biological treatment process (see Clause 8), in excess of the limits given in A.1, shall not be deliberately introduced into plastic materials intended to be designated as suitable for organic recovery. 4.2
Assessment 4.2.1 General Except as identified in 4.3, assessment of the biological treatability of plastic materials shall include the following 5 assessment procedures as a minimum:  characterization (4.2.2);  biodegradability (4.2.3);  disintegration including effects on the biological treatment process (4.2.4);  compost quality (4.2.5);  recognizability (4.2.6).



EN 14995:2006 (E) 7 4.2.2 Characterization A plastic material under investigation shall be identified and characterized prior to testing including at least:  information on, and identification of, the constituents of the plastic material;  determination of the presence of hazardous substances, e.g. heavy metals;  determination of the organic carbon content, total dry solids and volatile solids of the plastic material used for biodegradation and disintegration tests. NOTE Chemical characteristics’ pass levels need to be met for volatile solids and heavy metals. 4.2.3 Biodegradability To be designated as organically recoverable, a plastic material shall be inherently and ultimately biodegradable as demonstrated in laboratory tests (Clause 6) and to the criteria and pass levels given in A.2. 4.2.4 Disintegration To be designated as organically recoverable, a plastic material shall disintegrate in a biological waste treatment process (Clause 7) to the criteria and pass levels given in A.3, without any observable negative effect on the process. 4.2.5 Compost quality To be designated as organically recoverable, a plastic material submitted to a biological waste treatment process, shall not have a negative effect on the quality of the resulting compost (Clause 8). 4.2.6 Recognizability A plastic material which is intended for entering the biowaste stream shall be recognizable as compostable or biodegradable by the end user by appropriate means. 4.3 Exemption for the equivalent form A plastic material demonstrated to be organically recoverable in a particular form, shall be accepted as being organically recoverable in any other form having the same or a smaller mass to outer surface ratio and maximum wall thickness. 4.4 Recording of assessment outcome 4.4.1 Check list For each plastic material the result of each assessment or test undertaken as required in 4.2.1, shall be recorded on an assessment check list and their outcome used to determine whether a plastic material is biologically treatable and therefore suitable for organic recovery. The check list shall provide data for the identification of any supplementary information. 4.4.2 Supporting documentation The check list, together with any other information, including externally sourced technical data, necessary to support the conclusions reached in the assessments, shall be retained and made available for inspection if required.



EN 14995:2006 (E) 8 5 Organization of a test scheme In view of the relative complexity of some of the procedures involved, it is essential that assessment and testing be undertaken in a formal and organized way. Whilst this European Standard does not attempt to specify such organization, a flowchart of a recommended scheme is provided in Annex B. Where required, the disintegration test may also be used to obtain information on any negative effects that the plastic material could have on the composting process. Compost is not only the final product of the aerobic composting process but also the aerobically stabilized product of the anaerobic biogasification process. Where appropriate, an anaerobic disintegration test may be performed additionally. NOTE It is important to recognise that it is not necessary that biodegradation of a plastic material is fully completed by the end of biological treatment in technical plants but that it can subsequently be completed during the use of the compost produced. 6 Laboratory tests on biodegradability Only biodegradation tests that provide unequivocal information on the inherent and ultimate biodegradability of a plastic material or its significant organic constituents (see A.2.1.1) shall be used. The controlled aerobic composting test according to EN ISO 14855 shall be used unless inappropriate to the type and properties of the material under test. In the event that alternative methods are necessary an internationally standardized biodegradability test method (see e.g. ISO/TR 15462) shall be used, in particular EN ISO 14851 and EN ISO 14852 which are designed for polymeric materials. NOTE 1 Information on how to handle poorly water soluble test materials for use in aquatic biodegradation tests may be obtained from EN ISO 10634. NOTE 2 For the purpose of this European Standard it is sufficient to test biodegradability under aerobic conditions. If in a special case additional information on biogasification is required, a method with a high-solids test environment such as ISO 15985 should preferably be used. For screening anaerobic biodegradability for example ISO 14853 or EN ISO 11734 may be used. 7 Determination of disintegration Unless technically impossible, the plastic material shall be tested for disintegration in the form in which it will ultimately be used. The controlled pilot-scale test according to ISO 16929 shall be used as the reference test method. A test in a full-scale treatment facility may, however, be accepted as equivalent. The pilot-scale test simulates, as closely as possible, the real conditions of a high-level aerobic composting facility whereas a full-scale facility (technical composting plant) has always by definition real conditions and treatment periods. In practice plastic specimens of a given material are tested and from the laboratory results the disintegradability of any plastic product produced with that material, having equal or minor thickness, is inferred. Due to the nature and analytical conditions of the disintegration test (ISO 16929) the test results cannot differentiate between biodegradation and abiotic disintegration but they are required to demonstrate that a sufficient disintegration of the plastic material is achieved within the specified treatment time of biowaste. By combin
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