Plastics agricultural

Degradable polymers are Materials which undergo changes as a result 

This makes no attempt to characterize that end-point of such a degradation process which may be defined in physical, chemical or mechanical terms. In one sense, it does not matter which of these criteria is used, provided there is a known correlation with other measures of degradability. Nor does it attempt to define a time scale which is the concern of the manufacturer and user of the degradable product. The importance of time control has, however, been recognized in the following definition which emphasizes the design aspect in the manufacture of degradable polymers [8]. 

Controlled degradable polymer is A polymer that by design degrades at a 

One of the most successful applications of degradable polyolefins is in plasti-culture. Non-degradable polyethylene has been used in crop protection since 

Recent research [16, 17] has shown that microbial attack preferentially removes low molecular weight oxidation products of polyethylene from the 

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Kumar B, Yaduraju NT, Ahuja KN, Prasad D (1993) Effect of soil solarization on weeds and nematodes under tropical Indian conditions. Weed Res 33 423-429 Kurt S, Emir B (2004) Effect of soil solarization, chicken litter and viscera on populations of soilborne fungal pathogens. Plant Pathol J 3 118-124 Kyrikou I, Briassoulis D (2007) Biodegradation of agricultural plastic films a critical review. 

Mushobozy D, Khan VA, Stevens C (1998) The use of soil solarization to control weeds, plant diseases, and integration of chicken litter amendment for tomato production in Tanzania. In Proceedings of the 27th national agricultural plastics congress of american society for plasti-culture, p 279-285... 

D. P. Serrano, J. Aguado, J. M. Escola, E. Garagorri, J. M. Rodriguez, L. Morselli, G. Palazzi, and R. Orsi, Feedstock recycling of agriculture plastic film wastes by catalytic cracking, Appl. Catal. B Env., 49, 257 (2004). 

Figure 15.9 A commercial Thermofuel plant in Okinawa in Japan which processes agricultural plastics such as mulch and greehhouse films into diesel fuel to run greenhouse boilers for heating, tractors and other agricultural machinery. (Reproduced by permission of Ozmotech Pty Ltd)...

It is a fact that actinic deterioration of Degradable Plastic films will, in due course, lead to the crumbling of them into fine particles. Such disintegration obviates the plastics litter problem and provides the possibility of a solution to the agricultural plastics residue situation. There is evidence in this paper and elsewhere ( ) that there are commercially viable formulations with which packaging (and related) plastics can be made to have controlled, short embrittlement times outdoors but no indoor stability problems. 

Urea and nitric acid production consume about 20% and 15% respectively. However, like most ammonia derivatives, these are predominantly used in fertilizers which, together with the uses of hydrocarbon fuels and electricity in farm machinery, contribute to a considerable consumption of fossil fuel resources in modem agriculture. Plastics and synthetic fibre outlets account for less than 15%, including the urea-formaldehyde (0-8 Mt in the U.S.A., higher in Europe) and melamine resins. 

Environment and Plastics Industry Council (EPIC), Best Practices Guide for Agricultural Plastic Film, http //www.cpia.ca/files/files/files best practices2.pdf. 

The most common current disposal practices for non-recyclable agricultural plastics waste are burying in the soil (mulching films), burning, or disposing of it in open fields or landfills [13]. All of these practices have serious negative consequences for the environment, and for the health of farmers and consumers, and impact on the quality and market value of agricultural produce. 

J. Kyrikou, and D. Briassouhs, Biodegradation of agricultural plastic films A critical review, J. Polym. Environ., 15,125,2007. 

Biodegradable polymers are also used in agricultural plastic items which are designed to be left and biodegraded in the field after their use. The biodegradation of plastics in soil is defined by Norme Fran aise (NF) (French standard), U 52-001 [5], which regulates mulch films used in agriculture and horticulture, and by two Ente Nationale... 

Kyrikou I, Briassoulis D. Biodegradation of agricultural plastic films a critical review. Journal of Polymers and the Environment 2007 15 125-50. 

Another interesting example of biodegradation by the use of Chryseobacterium eum for the decomposition of photo-degraded linear lower-density polyethylene (LLDPE) [42]. LLDPE is used extensively in agricultural plastics such as films used in greenhouses and mulches. Kim and Jeon [42] discuss the degradation of UV-treated LLDPE with the meso-philic bacterium. 

It will be evident from the applications discussed above that a primary requirement for agricultural plastics is a variable and controllable period of stability in the environment. Oxo-biodegradable synthetic polymers, as was seen earlier, biodegrade in much the same way as natural rubber and lignocellulosic materials such as straw, twigs, wood chips, bark, etc. These... 

The presently accepted standards for biodegradation of plastics in compost, require that the plastic must be 90% converted to the theoretically obtainable carbon dioxide in six months. This is a quite impractical standard for agricultural plastics and many packaging material, which are required to be stable for up to a year in contact with soil. It may be a convenient way of disposing of domestic packaging but it is not a means of recovering the value of the packaging in compost and consequently does not comply with... 

Jensen, M.H., 1998, 27th National Agricultural Plastics Congress. 

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