Bioplastic Biodegradation Simulator

Polymer type

Temperature 25 °C

Microbial activity 50%

Readout

Bonds intact

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Avg fragment

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Elapsed (compost)

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How it works

Each polymer chain is a strand of monomer units held together end-to-end by chemical bonds. Enzymes secreted by microbes wander through the medium and, on contact with an intact bond, may hydrolyse it — snapping the chain into two shorter fragments. Over time this random, repeated scission shortens every chain until only free monomers and oligomers remain: the essence of enzymatic biodegradation.

P(break | contact) = 1 − exp(−k·dt)
k = k₀(polymer) · Q10^((T−25)/10) · moisture

Temperature — degradation is strongly temperature-sensitive (a Q10 coefficient of ~2–3): PLA barely breaks down at room temperature and needs the ~55–60 °C of industrial composting, while PHA and PCL degrade more readily across a wider range.
Microbial activity — stands in for moisture, oxygen and microbial density; it scales how often enzyme contacts actually succeed, matching how bioplastics degrade fast in active compost but barely at all in a dry landfill.
Polymer type — PLA is stiff and needs industrial conditions; PHA biodegrades even in soil or seawater; PCL has a low melting point and degrades slowly but steadily. Each carries a different base rate k₀ here.
Enzymes — toggle the visible enzyme swarm to see the agents responsible for each bond-breaking event as small glowing particles.

Real-world relevance: this contact-and-hydrolyse model is the mechanistic core behind ASTM/ISO compostability testing — measuring how fast a bioplastic actually breaks down under controlled temperature and microbial exposure, not just whether it is "bio-based".

Monomer Bond (intact) Enzyme

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