February 12, 2021

Hi, I'm Yoshi, the person in charge of the Tabitarium, and I'm going to spend the month of February buying, eating, and buying and eating a little bit of every chocolate I see in my neighborhood until the 14th comes.

In the last issue of Tavilog, we showed you a graph and video of how when you bury a Tavitalium eco T-shirt in compost, almost all of the material disappears as it decomposes.

The amount of T-shirts in the compost is gradually decreasing. What is going on there?

This time, we will explain how t-shirts decompose and become compost using an image diagram. Composting means that organic materials (mainly animal excrement, garbage, sludge, and waste plastic) are decomposed into compost by the action of microorganisms.

 

What is specific compost?

In order to break down compost-degradable polyester, compost that meets three conditions is required.

1. Microorganisms

Polyester-loving microorganisms must be in a state to actively generate enzymes.

2. moisture

Maintain a suitable humidity level for microbial activity.

3. heat

Maintain a temperature that is suitable for microorganisms that prefer to break down polyester. If the temperature is too high or too low, the microorganisms will die. The optimum temperature also varies depending on the type of microorganism.

 

Tavitalium distinguishes compost that meets there three conditions and is optimal for decomposing eco T-shirts, and that is maintained and managed so as not to cause harm to the surrounding environment, from general compost by calling it "specific compost".

 

hydrolysis

Compost-degradable polyester, the main raw material for eco T-shirts, is composted in two stages.

Stage 1 Hydrolysis

Stage 2 Biodegradation

First, let's take a closer look at the 30-second image video from hydrolysis.

 

 

In compost, microorganisms secrete hydrolytic enzymes.

Enzymes, water, and fermentation heat act on polyester.

Hydrolysis occurs, and the molecular weight of the high-molecular-weight polyester decreases.

 The initial T-shirt buried in the compost may not look like it has lost any fabric, but at the molecular level, hydrolysis is underway.

Now, please watch the decomposition video (12 seconds) again, imagining how the first stage of hydrolysis works.

 

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