REG - Symphony Environment - Extended Scientific Study on Microplastics in Soil

Symphony Environmental TechnologiesAnnouncement

10/04/2025 09:00

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RNS Number : 4896E  Symphony Environmental Tech. PLC  10 April 2025

10 April 2025

SYMPHONY ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES PLC

("Symphony", the "Company" or the "Group")

 

Extended Scientific Study on Microplastics in Soil

Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc (AIM:SYM), the global specialists in
technologies that make plastic and rubber products smarter, safer, and more
sustainable, announce the results of a continued study by Intertek of plastic
made with Symphony's d2w technology, following the results reported on 11
March 2025.

Because of the global interest in microplastics and the importance of the
study, Intertek has carried out a detailed assessment of the samples of
polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) that were subjected to testing
according to the ASTM D6954 protocol-an international standard for evaluating
the environmental degradation of plastics through a combination of oxidation
and biodegradation.

The samples underwent photodegradation (Tier 1), during which their molecular
weights reduced to below 5,000 Daltons (2,200 for PE and 4,900 for PP) These
photo-oxidised samples were then exposed to biodegradation under controlled
composting conditions (Tier 2) resulting in 94.55% biodegradation in the case
of PE and 92.76% biodegradation in the case of PP.

The resulting biomass from the biodegradation phase was assessed in accordance
with OECD Test Guidelines 207 and 208 (Tier 3), and no adverse effects were
observed on seedling germination or earthworm survival.

Results of the chemical and residue analysis conducted on the 50 grams of
biomass which remained after completion of ASTM D6954 testing, revealed the
presence of one and two oxidised particles resembling PE and PP respectively.
These findings may indicate incomplete mineralisation or they could have been
low-molecular-weight oligomers formed during the degradation process that no
longer retain the physical characteristics of conventional plastics. A polymer
material with a molecular weight of less than 5,000 Daltons typically loses
its tensile strength and barrier properties, it is also hydrophilic and
biodegradable and therefore not persistent.

Symphony's CEO, Michael Laurier said "This is an excellent result, and shows
that plastics upgraded with d2w technology are very useful for reducing
microplastics and reducing the prevalence and accumulation of plastics in the
environment.  We are grateful to Intertek for performing a very thorough and
extended investigation."

 

 Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc
 Michael Laurier, CEO                                                  +44 (0) 20 8207 5900
 Ian Bristow, CFO
 www.symphonyenvironmental.com (http://www.symphonyenvironmental.com)

 Zeus (Nominated Adviser and Broker)
 David Foreman, Alexandra Campbell-Harris (Investment Banking)         +44 (0) 203 829 5000
 Dominic King (Corporate Broking)

Microplastics - Information

Microplastics are seen today as the main problem with plastics. See
https://www.biodeg.org/subjects-of-interest/microplastics/
(https://www.biodeg.org/subjects-of-interest/microplastics/)   They are tiny
pieces of plastic, which are being found on land, in the sea, and now even in
the air we breathe and the water we drink. Some of the microplastics are
coming from man-made fibres, and recycling and composting can also be a source
of microplastics, but most of the microplastics found in the environment are
caused by the fragmentation of ordinary plastic.  There are also fragments
from tyres, but these are of rubber, not plastic.

Exposure to weathering in the environment causes the degradation of ordinary
plastic articles, leading to embrittlement and fragmentation in as little as
4-8 weeks, particularly when exposed to sunlight, on land or when floating on
the ocean.

The problem is that although ordinary plastics are degrading, they persist in
the environment for a long time because their molecular weight is too high for
biodegradation.  They then get smaller and smaller until they are small
enough to get into our bodies. This persistent particulate litter can take
decades to degrade sufficiently to permit biodegradation.

This is why d2w biodegradable plastic was invented. Professor Ignacy
Jakubowicz, one of the world's leading polymer scientists, has described the
process as follows: "The degradation process is not only a fragmentation, but
is an entire change of the material from a high molecular-weight polymer to
monomeric and oligomeric fragments, and from hydrocarbon molecules to
oxygen-containing molecules which can be bioassimilated."

The prodegradant catalyst in the d2w masterbatch not only accelerates
oxidative degradation and reduction of molecular weight but also - critically
- removes the dependence of this process on sunlight so that, unlike
conventional plastics or photo-degradable plastics, degradation will continue
in darkness -until biodegradability is achieved.

In September 2024, scientists at Lambton Manufacturing Innovation Centre in
Ontario, Canada, reported on biodegradable plastic and concluded that
oxo-degradable plastics (i.e. ordinary plastics) create microplastics, but
oxo-biodegradable plastics do not. They said:

"Oxo-biodegradable plastics are both bioplastics and biodegradable plastics.
They consist of a conventional plastic containing a masterbatch. The
masterbatches cause the molecular chains to be dismantled by oxidation so that
the material is no longer a plastic and becomes biodegradable. Light and heat
will accelerate the process, but it will continue even in dark, cold
conditions. Moisture is not necessary for oxidation and does not prevent it."

"Ordinary plastic and oxo-biodegradable plastic lose their strength and fall
apart at about the same time when exposed to sunlight, but the fragments of
ordinary plastic have a molecular weight which is much too high for
biodegradation."

"In summary, it is clear that if plastic products are made with an
oxo-biodegradable masterbatch and get into the open environment intentionally
or by accident, the molecular weight of the plastic will reduce much more
quickly and it will become a waxy substance which is no longer a plastic. It
will then have become a source of nutrition for naturally occurring
micro-organisms."

The European Chemicals Agency ("ECHA") were asked to study this type of
plastic in December 2017. They made a Call for Evidence, and they advised
after 10 months that they were not convinced that it creates microplastics.
Symphony agrees with them and has seen no evidence that microplastics from
oxo-biodegradable plastic have ever been found in the environment.

 

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