Biodegradable materials
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All 4 Flashcards — Biodegradable materials
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Question
What is a biodegradable material?
Answer
One that breaks down in the environment after disposal, or at the end of its useful life, into substances that rejoin natural cycles — water, carbon dioxide and biomass.
Question
What conditions does biodegradation usually require?
Answer
Heat, moisture and oxygen. Those exist in an industrial composter and not in a sealed landfill or the sea, so the label alone guarantees nothing.
Question
How do biomaterials support a circular economy?
Answer
They close the biological loop: grow the feedstock, make the product, use it, compost it — and its nutrients grow the next crop. Waste is designed out rather than managed.
Question
When is a biomaterial NOT the better choice?
Answer
For a durable product that will be collected and recycled properly. Biomaterials win where collection is unrealistic — packaging, single-use items, things used outdoors.
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Full study notes for Biodegradable materials
Topic 3.1 hub
Material classification
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Design Technology exam skills
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