BIODETERIORATION AND BIODEGRADATION

The usefulness and current usage of the tenns biodeterioration and biodegradation are discussed. Biodeterioration is seen as a process which decreases value and biodegradation as one which increases it, but the two processes are identical in principle, the distinction being based solely on human needs. Conventionally biodeterioration refers to damage to materials, constructions, and processes of relatively high value whereas biodegradation refers to materials only, and is distinguished from biological processing mainly because it applies to materials of low or even negative value.