We use the term “biodegradable” instead of “compostable” since compostable can refer both to industrial compost and natural compost (biodegradation). Both processes depend on microorganisms. NABBI BioBeads will degrade in a natural compost, without the help of a controlled environment. Therefore, they are biodegradable.
Some other materials, however, will only decompose in an industrial procedure, where the humidity, the ideal temperature, and the ideal time are controlled. If the product degrades or is fractionated into a certain size within a certain number of days in this controlled environment, it is classified as industrially compostable. The material used for NABBI BioBeads and pegboards has been tested also in an industrial compost, from which the material in the pegboards has a certificate for a degradation of 1mm/180 days, and the beads 0.2mm/180 days.
Most often, we think of our outdoor compost as the go-to place for natural biodegradable processes – and rightly so! In an outdoor compost, the biodegradation process will start when the microorganisms get into the material and will continue until the NABBI BioBeads products are gone. The temperature and humidity will have quite some influence on the time of degradation, which makes the time span impossible to predict. A relatively warm, moist environment is ideal for the microorganisms.
Microorganisms can be found also in the sediment in the seabed. Since NABBI BioBeads are more than 40% heavier than water, they cannot travel “free floating” in water. If they, for some reason, end up in the sea, NABBI BioBeads will sink to the bottom and end up in the sediment, where microorganisms will start the process of degradation and conversion to biomass. Thanks to this, NABBI BioBeads will not add to microplastics floating around in the oceans.