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biodegradability

biodegradability

1 4.9
How quickly bacteria and other living things break something down in nature
  • noun
  • /ˌbaɪoʊdɪˈɡreɪdəˌbɪlɪti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : biodegradabilidad
  • Understanding the biodegradability of various substances helps industries minimize their environmental impact.
  • biodegradability tests
  • standards for biodegradability

Examples

  • One issue that still needs to be addressed is whether current laboratory tests accurately reflect the biodegradability of a material in an actual compost pile, says Swift of Rohm and Haas.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Some of the European standards for biodegradability require that the resins degrade so quickly that it's hard to make useful products out of them.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Two procedures were selected to measure the biodegradability of the samples.

    Academic text (2000)
  • As noted earlier, efforts are underway in the U.S. and internationally to develop standards and test methods for meeting the definition of biodegradability.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The tests for biodegradability using anaerobic conditions for 35 days indicated that the Duro bag, Bag to Earth, and brown paper bag all degraded.

    Academic text (2000)
  • In 1992, ILSR's work on plant-derived plastics and other materials led to our co-hosting the first International Workshop on Biodegradability.

    Blog text (4)
  • Well, a week ago Dr. Jain completed certain experiments demonstrating the biodegradability of several types of plastics: polyolefins, styrene, acrylates, and so on.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The goal is to provide the European and global market with horizontal standards on biomass content and biodegradability that have been assessed on a first set of different products, such as solvents, plastics, and lubricants.

    Blog text (9)
  • Researchers are studying the biodegradability of materials to find eco-friendly alternatives to plastics.

  • The biodegradability of organic waste is essential for effective composting and reducing landfill waste.

Synonyms

degradability
vsbiodegradability
  • Specialized
6.1

How easily something breaks down naturally over time

is carried out mainly by living organisms like bacteria rather than other processes

Antonyms

Not able to be broken down by small living things like bacteria

How Biodegradable

biodegradability
  • Specialized
1 4.9
degradability
  • Specialized
6.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

biodegradability = biodegradable (transparent) = bio + degrade + able + ity

The noun is a regular abstract nominalization of the adjective 'biodegradable' using '-ity'.

Etymology

The word biodegradability combines bio- meaning 'life', as in biology, and degrade meaning 'to break down'. So it means how easily something can be broken down by living things like bacteria.