Ida Tarko

Measurement of biogenic or biobased carbon in the material or product as a percent of the total carbon or total organic carbon in the product. ASTM D6866 outlines two ways of expressing the proportion of material that originates from renewable resources. Biogenic carbon content indicates the proportion of total carbon (TC) originating from renewable resources. Alternatively, inorganic carbon can be removed before testing, and the result is then expressed in relation to total organic carbon (TOC), giving the biobased carbon content. An additional cost applies to the removal of inorganic carbon. The price is for non-volatile samples. If your sample is volatile, please discuss the suitability of your sample type with our experts. Please also note that we cannot accept samples that contain artificial carbon-12, carbon-13, or carbon-14 isotopes because they will cause damage to the equipment. Note! The results obtained for gaseous emissions should always be expressed as "biogenic carbon content" because the initial step of converting carbon to gaseous CO2 cannot be done when the carbon is already in gaseous form. Biobased carbon content determination by ASTM D6866 does not reveal how much of the sample's total weight originates from renewable sources. This can be estimated, however, by combining data on biobased carbon content with information on the total carbon content of the product. Biobased content measurement by EN 16785-1 may also be considered as an alternative.

Determination of the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) according to the ASTM F1249 standard. WVTR describes the amount of water vapor that passes through a material over a set period. It is an important quality indicator in food and cosmetics packaging, as an effective moisture barrier is critical to keeping products fresh and preventing spoilage. In this WVTR test, two samples per material are measured simultaneously to ensure the reliability of the measurement. The results are expressed as g/m²/day. Please disclose the desired temperature (from 18 to 40°C) and the desired relative humidity (from 20% to 100%) when placing the order. This measurement is applicable for plastic films and sheeting materials with WVTR values between 0.005 and 2400 g/m²/day. If you wish to test finished packaging instead, check out the WVTR measurement for packages.

In TGA, the sample is heated at a controlled rate or kept at a controlled temperature while its mass is weighed with an extremely precise scale. The analysis provides information about phase transitions, absorption, adsorption, desorption, chemisorption, thermal decomposition, and solid-gas reactions. It can also be used as a characterization and compositional analysis method. As a result of the measurement, you will get the change in mass as a function of temperature and time. A simultaneous thermal analysis (TGA + DSC) can be performed upon request. The type of heating cycle can be tailored to your sample (temperature ranges from 25 °C to 1100 °C), with various options for the surrounding gas atmosphere (air, O₂, and N₂). Please disclose the aim of the measurement and the desired temperature program and atmosphere(s) upon ordering.

Determination of the oxygen transmission rate of plastic films and sheet-like materials. The test is performed on two parallel samples simultaneously. Measurement conditions (temperature and relative humidity) can be chosen according to the intended use of the material. Oxygen permeability is typically measured at 23 °C and 0% relative humidity as per standard ASTM D3985. In moist conditions, for example at 38 °C and 90% relative humidity, standard ASTM F1927 is used. Please disclose the desired temperature (from 10 °C to 38 °C) and relative humidity (either 0% or from 20% to 90%) upon ordering. This measurement is suitable for plastic films with OTR values between 0.05 to 20 000 cm³/(m² * day).