1. Scope

Keywords

Rationale

The increasing interest and use of organic infills and organic fillers in composite infill materials along with the rising concerns over microplastic dispersal in the environment has brought public awareness to the sustainability and end of life considerations of turf products. This has also led to a marked increase in the use of organic and organic-containing infill types. Organic materials found in nature are almost always susceptible to decay by microorganisms, and the extent of degradation varies significantly among materials, even within the same class. This material decay can lead to a drop in material performance as well as safety concerns with regards to the microbiological content of the surface being use. This test method aims to compare the susceptibility of materials to microbiological decay by comparing new materials to materials with known history of field use. This test can also be used to evaluate new organic materials to be used as infill where durability is in question, particularly with regards to decay and degradation in the presence of common soil microbes.