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Bioplastic Biodegradation Simulator

Interactive biopolymer biodegradation simulator: watch enzymes and microbes break down PLA, PHA and PCL polymer chains into monomer fragments, with temperature, microbial activity and polymer type tunable in real time.

Materials Science3DModerate60 FPS

Biopolymers and bioplastics — PLA, PHA, PCL and their relatives — are prized for breaking back down into natural building blocks once discarded, but that breakdown is not instant or automatic: it depends on temperature, moisture and microbial activity acting on chemical bonds one contact at a time. This simulator visualizes that process directly, tracking polymer chains made of monomer units as a swarm of enzymes wanders through the medium and probabilistically snaps bonds it touches. Switch between PLA, PHA and PCL and adjust temperature and microbial activity to see why the same bioplastic can vanish in an industrial compost facility yet persist for years in a landfill.

⚙ Under the hood

Watch enzymes and microbes break down PLA, PHA and PCL polymer chains into monomer fragments — tune temperature, microbial activity and polymer type to see how each affects biodegradation rate.

Three.jsbiopolymersbioplasticsbiodegradationmaterials sciencesustainability

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install