Biodegradation

Definition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodegradation)

Biodegradation is the chemical dissolution of materials by bacteria or other biological means. Although often conflated, biodegradable is distinct in meaning from compostable. While biodegradable simply means to be consumed by microorganisms and return to compounds found in nature, "compostable" makes the specific demand that the object break down in a compost pile. The term is often used in relation to ecology, waste management, biomedicine, and the natural environment (bioremediation) and is now commonly associated with environmentally friendly products that are capable of decomposing back into natural elements. (Wikipedia)

Preferred Units: N/A

Scope Note:
N/A

This term is used for the following terms: 
Microbial degradation
Putrefaction (degradation)

Approved Date
19-Jun-2013

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