Mr. Sanjay Bhayani, Director of India Operations with Avgol, was presented with the award at the annual event held earlier this month in Delhi, India.

“End of life issues with products that are comprised of nonwoven fabrics are as complicated as they are numerous,” said Mr. Bhayani. “Used product wastes, whether the simplest wipe material, the most prolific face masks or the most complicated in the form of baby diapers, all utilize polymeric resins that have a high degree of inertness and stability but that are difficult to recycle and degrade. We at Avgol embraced this issue with our technology partners at Polymateria to bring a new type of solution to the market, specifically in the form of the biotransformation technology.”

Biotransformation is a unique functionality wherein a conventional nonwoven fabric can be modified to react to certain triggers to then begin a cascade, and importantly a fundamental chemical transformation of the polymer resin into a wax that is readily degraded by natural bacteria, microbes and fungi normally found in the environment.

“The transformation is triggered through the combined effects of the natural elements of decay - air, moisture, heat and sunlight,” said Mr. Bhayani. “Once triggered, the material will transform into a low molecular weight wax structure leaving no microplastics or toxic residue behind. Moreover, if the product comprising the biotransformation technology is disposed of in the normal way and facilities are available, then it can be recycled by readily available means.”