Results of Michigan study into biodegradation-promoting additives evoke incensed responseResults of Michigan study into biodegradation-promoting additives evoke incensed response

It was not to be expected that the results of the study performed at Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI) into the effect of biodegradation-promoting additives on the biodegradation of PE and PET would be greeted with any enthusiasm by the manufacturers of these additives. The Michigan researchers, who evaluated biodegradation in compost, anaerobic digestion, and soil burial environments, were singularly unimpressed by the performance of the tested additives. As they wrote: "None of the five different additives tested significantly increased biodegradation in any of these environments. Thus, no evidence was found that these additives promote and/or enhance biodegradation of PE or PET polymers."