Biodegradable fibre is a unique polyester yarn has the ability to biodegrade naturally in landfill conditions. The biodegradability is achieved by embedding a catalyst ( additive ) to the polymer before the yarn is extruded . The additive significantly accelerates the biodegradation in landfills by attracting more than 600 types of microbes that feed on it. The additive does not have any effect on the physical properties of the yarn .

Biodegradable materials do not need any special processing before they are disposed into landfills. The material has the ability to start attracting anaerobic microbes as soon as they are disposed into landfills.

The additive make the materials more hydrophilic and attracts a large number of microbes which ' feed on ' the modified polymer in landfill conditions . The enzymes that the microbes produce react with the additive , synergistically catalysing the biodegradation process.

The active ingredients in such yarn does not promote the biodegradation during the life cycle of the fabric . It only starts to activate once the fabrics are disposed into landfill conditions .

Such yarn has yielded good results in a laboratory test which indicated that over 25% biodegradation took place in less than five months whereas , in the same period , a regular polyester fabric would degrade only 0.6% as shown in the biodegradation profile below.
 

                                                  Biodegradation Profile

√.  Positive control: an established biodegradable substance (cellulose) to confirm the inoculum is behaving as expected

√.  Negative control: an established non-biodegradable substance (polyethylene) (degrades around 1% or less in a year).