Boris A. Miksic

Bob Berg

Bob Boyle

Cortec Corporation

4119 White Bear Parkway

St. Paul, MN 55110

 ABSTRACT

Biodegradable products are becoming an ever increasing forced decision rather than a choice, due to the swelling landfills in the U.S. and throughout the world.  With the biodegradation rate of roughly a hundred years for standard petrochemical derived plastics, there is simply no more room for these plastics.  One of the biggest culprits of this problem, are non biodegradable plastic bags or films used for consumer use and in industrial shipping.  More and more companies are distributing biodegradable bags or films but with customers alike, giving feedback that price and mechanical properties of these mainly starch based materials, are less than adequate for their application.  Therefore, there is a demand for a biodegradable bag or film, with mechanical properties comparable to non biodegradable plastics but with a similar cost. With this in mind, the packaging of equipment used in the electronics/computer industry, is one in which a mechanically sound biodegradable film, providing excellent contact, barrier and vapor phase corrosion inhibition, along with ESD values that fall in the anti-stat film range, is highly sought.