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Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be deleterious or undesirable.
Biodeterioration is sometimes described as a surface-level degradation that modifies the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of the material. This stage occurs when the material is exposed to abiotic factors in the outdoor environment and allows for further degradation by weakening the material's structure.
Degradation arising from the effects of heat, light, air and water is the most common, but other means of degradation exist. The in-service degradation of mechanical properties is an important aspect which limits the applications of these materials. Polymer degradation caused by in-service degradation can cause life threatening accidents.
Environmental degradation, human insecurity, and social conflict frequently accompany natural resource exploitation. The impacts of the depletion of natural resources include the decline of economic growth in local areas; however, the abundance of natural resources does not always correlate with a country's material prosperity.
The acidic and metal-rich AMD is a major source of environmental pollution, contaminating nearby surface waters and groundwater, harming ecosystems and rendering water unsuitable for drinking. [24] AMD can persist for extended periods, even long after mining activities have ceased, leading to continual environmental degradation. [24]
The onset of thermal degradation dictates the maximum temperature at which a polymer can be used. It is an important limitation in how the polymer is manufactured and processed. For instance, polymers become less viscous at higher temperatures which makes injection moulding easier and faster, but thermal degradation places a ceiling temperature ...
Pages in category "Materials degradation" The following 72 pages are in this category, out of 72 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. 0–9.
By comparison the dependence of degradation rate on UV exposure and the availability of oxygen is broadly linear. As the oceans are cooler than land plastic pollution in the marine environment degrades more slowly. [40] [41] Materials buried in landfill do not degrade by photo-oxidation at all, though they may gradually decay by other processes.