N101-072 TITLE: Non-Plastic Biodegradable Waste Bag

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes

OBJECTIVE: Develop a replacement for standard plastic garbage bags aboard ship. The alternative must meet marine biodegradable and compostable ASTM standards and be able to be processed through Navy waste processing equipment in a manner similar to food, paper, and other organic waste. In addition, the material must not be considered plastic under the International Maritime Organization (IMO) definition of plastic and must be non-toxic to the marine environment per requirements in the ASTM biodegradable testing. This initiative will support requirements in EO 13423 (Strengthening Federal Environmental Energy, and Transportation Management, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Also, other government organizations, such as, the California Lt. Governor’s Office and National Oceanic Atmosphere and Administration (NOAA) have expressed interest to the Navy in marine biodegradable materials.

DESCRIPTION: The Navy currently uses a combination of plastic and paper bags for collection of solid waste. The Navy must comply with MARPOL Annex V requirements which prohibit plastic disposal at sea. Therefore, despite having desired properties, plastic waste bags result in an increased plastic waste stream afloat. Plastic continues to pose the greatest challenge and labor requirements for solid waste management afloat. Plastic negatively impacts the fleet through increased labor, storage, and offload requirements. NAVICP’s November 2008 USS Porter underway study reported that plastic bags accounted for 32 percent of the overall plastic waste stream. Using existing paper bags in place of plastic is an alternative; however their use is limited due to inferior water barrier and strength properties.

Development of a high strength, lightweight, water-proof, marine biodegradable, and non-plastic waste disposal bag will assist the fleet in reducing their at-sea plastic usage and significantly decrease the volume of plastic waste that must be processed and stored aboard. The use of plastic packaging continues to rise in commercial markets and few materials are available to meet plastic reduction initiatives afloat.

In order for the new waste bag to be successful, it must meet several basic criteria:
• Must be water resistant since food scraps have high moisture content
• Must show and meet biodegradability per ASTM D7081 and ASTM D6400
• Must be composed of a biobased material
• Must be non-toxic to the marine environment
• Must be capable of being processed though the existing shipboard equipment (i.e. Pulper and shredder)
• Must be of sufficient strength to resist tearing or bursting when filled with liquid waste.

This is a challenging R&D effort for two primary reasons. Currently, biodegradable waste bags in the marketplace are composed primarily of a biobased material called, Polylactic Acid (PLA). First, this material falls under the IMO definition of plastic and cannot be disposed of in the marine environment. Secondly, few available materials readily biodegrade in the marine environment. PLA often passes the compostable plastic ASTM biodegradation testing but does not meet the ASTM Marine biodegradation standard. The Navy has tested Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), another biobased plastic that successfully passes ASTM D7081, but also falls under the current IMO definition of plastic.

PHASE I: Investigate materials and manufacturing processes to identify and produce a material that can be successfully transformed into a waste bag. The material must be developed to meet desirable characteristics including water resistance, strength, non-toxic and marine/compost biodegradable.

PHASE II: Develop prototype bags and complete performance testing, shipboard equipment testing, and begin to identify producers that will be able to manufacture the bags in sufficient quantities for Navy needs. The Navy will perform or arrange for shipboard testing to evaluate Sailor responses to the new material as appropriate.

PHASE III: Develop a manufacturing plan and identify expected Navy usage. Work with GSA and DLA to incorporate the bag into government procurement systems.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The new bag will possess many environmentally advantageous characteristics over conventional plastic bags. This will provide a new product that is not currently available in the commercial marketplace and may lead to development of other materials. The new bags will biodegrade under composting and marine environment standards. The navy has not identified biodegradable plastic bags on the marketplace that have successfully passed ASTM D7081.

REFERENCES:
1. IMO Definition of Plastic: Plastic means a solid material which contains as an essential ingredient one or more synthetic organic high polymers and which is formed (shaped) during either manufacture of the polymer or the fabrication into a finished product by heat and/ or pressure. Plastics have material properties ranging from hard and brittle to soft and elastic. Plastics are used for a variety of marine purposes including, but not limited to, packaging (vapor-proof barriers, bottles, containers, liners), ship construction (fiberglass and laminated structures, siding, piping, insulation, flooring, carpets, fabrics, paints, and finishes, adhesives, electrical and electronic components), disposable eating utensils and cups, bags, sheeting, floats, fishing nets, strapping bands, rope and line.

2. ASTM Standard Specifications (available at http://www.astm.org/Standard/index.shtml)

3. ASTM D 7081 - 05: Standard Specification for Non-Floating Biodegradable Plastics in the Marine Environment

4. ASTM D 6400 - 04: Standard Specification for Compostable Plastics

5. Bag, Waste Receptacle, Paper,GS-15F-L0011, 2 pages.

KEYWORDS: Biodegradable; waste processing; green procurement; biobased; materials; non-plastic

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