ISO 14853:2016

Overview

ISO 14853:2016 - Plastics: Determination of the ultimate anaerobic biodegradation of plastic materials in an aqueous system - Method by measurement of biogas production specifies a laboratory method to quantify the ultimate anaerobic biodegradability (mineralization to CO2, CH4, water and mineral salts plus biomass) of plastic materials. The test exposes plastics to digested sludge inoculum under controlled anaerobic, aqueous conditions and measures biogas production either manometrically (pressure) or volumetrically (gas volume) over a test period normally up to 90 days at 35 ± 2 °C.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope of materials: natural/synthetic polymers, copolymers, blends, water‑soluble polymers and plastics containing additives (plasticizers, colorants) provided they do not inhibit the inoculum.
• Test conditions: typical organic carbon load 20–200 mg/L OC in the test suspension; inoculum (washed digested sludge) diluted to 1–3 g/L total solids.
• Measurement methods: biogas quantified by manometric (headspace pressure increase) or volumetric techniques; procedures and apparatus examples are provided in informative annexes.
• Calculations and reporting: procedures for calculating carbon in headspace, inorganic carbon in liquid, theoretical CO2/CH4 production and percentage biodegradation are specified.
• Validity and controls: includes requirements for maintaining anaerobic conditions, detecting inhibition (inhibition control; reference to ISO 13641), and criteria for test validity (lag phase, plateau).
• Documentation: guidance on test duration, sample preparation, inoculum preparation, specific analyses and the required test report contents. Informative annexes include example workflows, biodegradation curves and calculation examples.

Practical applications and users

Who benefits from ISO 14853:2016:

• Test laboratories and QA teams performing standardized biodegradability testing for certification, product claims or regulatory submissions.
• Plastics manufacturers and R&D groups evaluating new polymers, formulations and additives for anaerobic treatability.
• Waste‑management and anaerobic digestion (AD) operators assessing how plastic residues behave in sludge treatment or landfill gas generation.
• Regulators and eco‑label programs needing reproducible data on anaerobic mineralization for policy or labeling decisions.

Practical value:

• Provides a reproducible, internationally recognized method to quantify ultimate anaerobic biodegradation via biogas production, enabling consistent comparisons between materials and processes.
• Helps identify inhibitory effects and informs decisions on material suitability for AD systems or environments prone to anaerobic degradation.

Related standards

• ISO 13641 - referenced for procedures to determine inhibitory effects on inocula.
• ISO 14853:2005 (first edition) - ISO 14853:2016 supersedes and technically revises the earlier edition.

Keywords: ISO 14853:2016, anaerobic biodegradation, plastics, biogas production, anaerobic digestion test, manometric, volumetric, digested sludge, biodegradability testing.