Decomposition time period of glass,aluminum etc.?

Answer 1

Depends strongly on the medium.

Glass can give off minerals and become more mineral-like with a poroous surface. (There are hundreds of different kinds of glass with different chemical properties. Some are more resistant than others. Glass corrosion has made it into TV advertisement for detergents, though, and will occur in soil, too.)

Aluminum metal usually forms a protective oxygen layer which stops further corrosion, but in acidic or alkaline environment this layer can get dissolved and lead to further corrosion.

Mechanical stress is another factor - glass shards in moving water soon resemble other pebbles, and mechanic abrasion of the protective layer will also increase the oxidation rate of aluminum.


Archaeologically, glass is stable enough so that we have samples of Roman Empire glass (for instance) if kept in non-aggressive media. Metallic aluminum has been around for only 150 years or so, which means we have limited knowledge about long-term survivability of samples in the ground.

Other typical container material ("etc.") has many different chemical make-ups and decomposition paths. Petrol-based organics behave similarly to paraffins or petrol spills wrt decomposition - in some circumstances they decompose quickly, in others they last for geological timespans.

Nylon frex decomposes fairly easily with its peptide-analogous bonds, similar to wool. Archaeological finds of wool are rare, usually limited to bog conditions.

Answer 2

Glass does not decompose. It can, however, be broken into smaller and smaller pieces until it you call it sand, which is what it is made of.

Aluminum will oxidize (rust) in a very short time, but once the surface has oxidized, it will remain as is until disturbed.

etc. been with us for centuries, and it is doubtful that it will ever decompose.

Answer 3

well decompostion means to break down into simpler substances. aluminium is an element and wont break down any further. glass is a compound but its not practical to break it down. instead, glass is ground up and remade into new products. ie: recycling.