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Field test on the biodegradation of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) based mulch films in soil

Polymer Testing 2020 66 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 40 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Ruimin Qi, Ruimin Qi, Ruimin Qi, Davey L. Jones Zhen Li, Ruimin Qi, Zhen Li, Ruimin Qi, Ruimin Qi, Zhen Li, Zhen Li, Zhen Li, Ruimin Qi, Zhen Li, Zhen Li, Zhen Li, Qin Liu, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Zhen Li, Zhen Li, Davey L. Jones Zhen Li, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Qiuyun Liu, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Qiuyun Liu, Ruimin Qi, Ruimin Qi, Zhen Li, Zhen Li, Davey L. Jones Ruimin Qi, Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Zhen Li, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Ruimin Qi, Qin Liu, Qin Liu, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Zhen Li, Zhen Li, Qiuyun Liu, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Qiuyun Liu, Ruimin Qi, Ruimin Qi, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Qiuyun Liu, Changrong Yan, Zhen Li, Qiuyun Liu, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Zhen Li, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Qiuyun Liu, Qiuyun Liu, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Zhen Li, Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Ruimin Qi, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Ruimin Qi, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Zhen Li, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Changrong Yan, Changrong Yan, Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones Davey L. Jones

Summary

Researchers buried four types of supposedly biodegradable plastic mulch films — used in farming to suppress weeds — in agricultural soil for over two years and found that all four still left behind microplastic fragments. This shows that even biodegradable plastics can accumulate in soil if used repeatedly each growing season.

The use of plastic much films has been fundamental to promoting food production in many regions of the world. However, concern is growing about the progressive accumulation of plastic residues in soil after crop harvest and its subsequent impact on soil health and potential to enter the food chain. Although biodegradable films have been developed to prevent these problems, it is still unclear whether they are environmentally benign. Here we evaluated the physical and chemical breakdown of four commercial poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) based biodegradable mulch films (BMF1, BMF2, BMF3 and BMF4) in an agricultural soil over a 26-month period. Based on visual examination, degradation followed the series BMF4 > BMF1, BMF2 > BMF3. Importantly, microplastic residues (fragments <5 mm) still remained in the soil of all 4 plastic types after 2 years, suggesting that they are likely to accumulate over time if used on an annual basis. Viscosimetry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) were used to characterise the breakdown process. Our results indicated that the degradation of the mulch film after burial in agricultural soil may be linked to the nature of the polymer but also to its manufacturing formulation. Although the peak changes of polyester in the infrared spectrum were not distinct, the plastic films showed other signs of degradation including a reduction in intrinsic viscosity after burial in soil. The different degradation rates of BMF1 and BMF2 at the molecular level may be due to the different CaCO3 contents. In conclusion, under field conditions, we show that slight variations in the formulations of commercial biodegradable mulch films leads to very different persistence rates in soil. Further, we conclude that their slow rate of degradation will ultimately lead to their progressive accumulation in soil if used repeatedly.

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