Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2009, 10(8), 3599-3615; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms10083599
Utilization of a Biodegradable Mulch Sheet Produced from Poly(Lactic Acid)/Ecoflex®/Modified Starch in Mandarin Orange Groves
1
Industrial Technology Center of Wakayama Prefecture, 60, Ogura, Wakayama, 649-6261, Japan
2
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 1-1-1, Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8565, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 31 July 2009 / Revised: 12 August 2009 / Accepted: 17 August 2009 / Published: 17 August 2009
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodegradability of Materials)
Abstract
We have developed a mulch sheet made by inflation molding of PLA, Ecoflex® and modified starch, which all have different biodegradabilities. A field test of use as an agricultural mulch sheet for mandarin oranges was carried out over two years. The mechanical properties of the mulch sheet were weakened with time during the field test, but the quality of the mandarin oranges increased, a result of the controlled degradation of the sheet. The most degradable modified starch degraded first, allowing control of the moisture on the soil. Accelerator mass spectroscopy was used for evaluation of the biomass carbon ratio. The biomass carbon ratio decreased by degradation of the biobased materials, PLA and modified starch in the mulch sheet. View Full-TextKeywords:
poly(lactic acid); modified starch; mulch sheet; mandarin orange; biodegradable materials; biomass carbon ratio
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
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Tachibana, Y.; Maeda, T.; Ito, O.; Maeda, Y.; Kunioka, M. Utilization of a Biodegradable Mulch Sheet Produced from Poly(Lactic Acid)/Ecoflex®/Modified Starch in Mandarin Orange Groves. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2009, 10, 3599-3615.
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