Editing Biodegradation (section)

== Biodegradable technology ==
Biodegradable technology is established technology with some applications in product [[packaging]], production, and medicine.<ref name="pmid12161646">{{cite journal|vauthors=Gross RA, Kalra B|title=Biodegradable polymers for the environment|journal=Science|volume=297|issue=5582|pages=803–7|date=August 2002|pmid=12161646|doi=10.1126/science.297.5582.803|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1231185|bibcode=2002Sci...297..803G|access-date=2019-06-27|archive-date=2020-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725075829/https://zenodo.org/record/1231185|url-status=live}}</ref> The chief barrier to widespread implementation is the trade-off between biodegradability and performance.  For example, lactide-based plastics are inferior packaging properties in comparison to traditional materials.

Oxo-biodegradation is defined by [[European Committee for Standardization|CEN]] (the European Standards Organisation) as "degradation resulting from [[oxidative]] and cell-mediated phenomena, either simultaneously or successively." While sometimes described as "oxo-fragmentable," and "oxo-degradable" these terms describe only the first or oxidative phase and should not be used for material which degrades by the process of oxo-biodegradation defined by CEN: the correct description is "oxo-biodegradable." Oxo-biodegradable formulations accelerate the biodegradation process but it takes considerable skill and experience to balance the ingredients within the formulations so as to provide the product with a useful life for a set period, followed by degradation and biodegradation.<ref name="pmid15864950">{{cite journal|vauthors=Agamuthu P, Faizura PN|title=Biodegradability of degradable plastic waste|journal=Waste Management & Research|volume=23|issue=2|pages=95–100|date=April 2005|pmid=15864950|doi=10.1177/0734242X05051045|bibcode=2005WMR....23...95A|s2cid=2552973}}</ref>

Biodegradable technology is especially utilized by the [[bio-medical]] community. Biodegradable polymers are classified into three groups:
medical, ecological, and dual application, while in terms of origin they are divided into two groups: natural and synthetic.<ref name = "Ikada_2000" /> The Clean Technology Group is exploiting the use of [[supercritical carbon dioxide]], which under high pressure at room temperature is a solvent that can use biodegradable plastics to make polymer drug coatings. The polymer (meaning a material composed of molecules with repeating structural units that form a long chain) is used to encapsulate a drug prior to injection in the body and is based on [[lactic acid]], a compound normally produced in the body, and is thus able to be excreted naturally. The coating is designed for controlled release over a period of time, reducing the number of injections required and maximizing the therapeutic benefit.  Professor Steve Howdle states that biodegradable polymers are particularly attractive for use in [[drug delivery]], as once introduced into the body they require no retrieval or further manipulation and are degraded into soluble, non-toxic by-products. Different polymers degrade at different rates within the body and therefore polymer selection can be tailored to achieve desired release rates.<ref>{{cite web|title=Using Green Chemistry to Deliver Cutting Edge Drugs|author=The University of Nottingham|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070913132945.htm|work=Science Daily|date=September 13, 2007|access-date=September 24, 2018|archive-date=September 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924070721/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070913132945.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other biomedical applications include the use of biodegradable, elastic shape-memory polymers. Biodegradable implant materials can now be used for minimally invasive surgical procedures through degradable thermoplastic polymers. These polymers are now able to change their shape with increase of temperature, causing shape memory capabilities as well as easily degradable sutures. As a result, implants can now fit through small incisions, doctors can easily perform complex deformations, and sutures and other material aides can naturally biodegrade after a completed surgery.<ref name="pmid11976407">{{cite journal|vauthors=Lendlein A, Langer R|title=Biodegradable, elastic shape-memory polymers for potential biomedical applications|journal=Science|volume=296|issue=5573|pages=1673–6|date=May 2002|pmid=11976407|doi=10.1126/science.1066102|bibcode=2002Sci...296.1673L|s2cid=21801034|doi-access=free}}</ref>