Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable Materials
Introduction
We utilize a significant number of materials every day and generate an enormous amount of waste. These include fruit and vegetable waste, pesticide, plastic carry bags, carton boxes, and wound dressings, etc. Based on how quickly or easily they can be decomposed after being discarded as trash; many of these compounds can be roughly divided into two broad categories. These two categories are Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable materials.
Biodegradable materials
Definition
Several materials, such as fruit and vegetable peels, are rapidly decomposed by the activity of bacteria and fungi, which behave as decomposers. Thus, materials that are easily decomposed by the action of fungi, bacteria, etc., are termed Biodegradable materials.
Examples
Dead plants and animals, human waste, food items, timber, paper, and manure, are some of the examples of biodegradable materials.
Degradation Process
Three phases make up the biodegradation process:
1. Biodegradation or mechanical deterioration: Materials exposed to abiotic conditions like sunlight, temperature, and chemicals in an outdoor setting may degrade biologically or mechanically. On degradation, their mechanical structure changes, thus reducing their strength.
2. Bio fragmentation: In this phase, microorganisms, including fungi, bacteria, and others, further break down the components.
3. Assimilation: The outdated components are assimilated into the fresh cells during this phase.
Biodegradable wastes
Typically, trash is accumulated and disposed off in landfills. In this location, waste is covered in soil and certain chemicals that break it down. Some materials include rotten and decaying items. They're referred to as biodegradable wastes. Bacteria, fungi, or other microbes break down these wastes into smaller and smaller fragments, which are replenished by the surrounding environment and, ideally, cause no pollution. Additionally, other natural processes convert biodegradable wastes into organic manure or natural fertilizers, like sunlight and water.
Identification of Biodegradable waste
Dead plants and animals, plant-based waste like peels and roots, and animal-based waste can be identified as biodegradable wastes.
Harmful effects of Biodegradable waste
Only when there an abundance of biodegradable wastes exist in the ecosystem do they cause environmental harm. Following are the ways in which it can harm the environment:
- In the water system, a lot of biodegradable trash might deplete the oxygen.
- Around the wastes, they develop a significant portion of microbial flora. These bacteria can potentially transmit a range of contagious diseases to people, animals, and plants.
- These biodegradable wastes serve as the nesting grounds for pathogens and transmitters like rats and mosquitoes.
- When these wastes are burned, they produce a foul smell because specific gases are released, which contribute to greenhouse gas emission.
Biodegradable waste and the time they consume to get decomposed
| Waste | Time taken(months/years) |
| Paper | Two to five months |
| Woollen socks | One to five years |
| Fruit peels | Up to six months |
| Leather footwear | Twenty-five to forty years |
| Rope | Three to fourteen months |
| Fabric (Nylon) | Thirty to forty years |
| Cotton rag | Up to five months |
Non-biodegradable materials
Definition
Biological mechanisms cannot breakdown certain materials, such as glass, plastic, batteries, insecticides, metallic trash, etc. As a result, a substance that cannot degrade biologically is said to be non-biodegradable.
Examples
Rubber, fibre, hazardous compounds, metal scraps, and aluminium cans are some of the other examples of non-biodegradable materials.
Non-biodegradable wastes
Non-biodegradable waste is material that cannot be reduced to simpler molecules by various natural phenomena even after several hundred years. Extreme weather conditions like humidity, pressure, and temperature have little effect on these waste products.
The majority of today's non-biodegradable waste is plastic, which has a detrimental impact on the natural environment because it takes thousands of years to decompose. Chemicals are released into the air and the soil when it begins to decompose. The soil is another way it gets into the water, leading to the pollution of the soil, water, and air.
Large wastelands grow in size because non-biodegradable wastes cannot be divided into smaller components.
Identification of Non-biodegradable waste
The majority of inorganic materials can be identified as non-biodegradable waste. Examples are discussed in the above sections.
Harmful effects of non-biodegradable waste
The following are the ways in which it can harm the environment:
- They impact the medium's characteristics. When it comes to ph and fertility, the soil's characteristics vary in landfills.
- Leaching is the process by which toxic elements in water disintegrate in the soil layer and subsequently combine with groundwater. This pollutes the groundwater and has negative impacts on the environment and life.
How to reduce the effects of non-biodegradable waste
We can reduce the harmful effects of non-biodegradable wastes by promoting responsible consumption. It is based on consuming the products based on our real needs and choosing options that benefit our environment and the social equilibrium.
Responsible consumption is based on the three R principle: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.