OWS becomes Normec OWS!
We are proudly announcing that OWS will be known as Normec OWS from now on!
Normec OWS offers anaerobic degradation testing to provide detailed insight into the biodegradation and/or disintegration of a material or complete product in an anaerobic environment. Anaerobic degradation mainly occurs in purpose-built environments, such as managed end-of-life anaerobic digestion (AD) and waste water treatment plants, as well as landfills. The conditions differ, however, depending on the environment.
Our testing procedures are optimized to replicate the conditions in either controlled or uncontrolled environments. As opposed to landfills, AD and waste water treatment plants are controlled environments specifically designed for optimal degradation conditions.
Although no certification yet exists for anaerobic biodegradation, we test under certification conditions for making marketing or legal claims, or screening conditions for supporting research & development purposes.
We offer anaerobic biodegradation tests according to the ASTM D5511 standard for HSAD (high solids), the ISO 13975 standard for LSAD (low solids), and the ISO 11734 and ISO 14853 standards for aqueous anaerobic testing.
During anaerobic biodegradation, microorganisms convert organic matter in the absence of oxygen into biogas (CO₂ + methane), which can be collected in a controlled environment, and biomass.
For testing in accordance with the ASTM D5511 standard for HSAD (high solids), we offer both mesophilic and thermophilic testing possibilities.Testing with mesophilic bacteria at a temperature of 37°C can be done to either simulate an anaerobic digestor or to simulate accelerated landfill testing. For the latter, one day of testing equals roughly 25 days of landfilling. Testing with thermophilic bacteria at a temperature of 55°C can also be done to simulate an anaerobic digestor, where the temperature that influences the biodegradation rate can be managed.
Besides anaerobic biodegradation tests, we also offer both quantitative and qualitative disintegration testing.
This is done to determine how the material breaks down into (much) smaller pieces and physically disappears.
We are proudly announcing that OWS will be known as Normec OWS from now on!
Our managing director Bruno De Wilde recently had an interview with the French Packaging Council.
OWS has released its environmental report from 2021.
