We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Papers
61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to From Fruit Waste to Hydrogels for Agricultural Applications
ClearSignificance of biopolymer-based hydrogels and their applications in agriculture: a review in perspective of synthesis and their degree of swelling for water holding
Researchers reviewed the development and agricultural applications of hydrogels made from natural biopolymers, which are biodegradable alternatives to synthetic plastics. These hydrogels can retain large amounts of water and deliver nutrients or active compounds to soil in a controlled way. The study suggests that biopolymer hydrogels could help improve crop yields while reducing the environmental burden of synthetic plastic materials in agriculture.
Polymeric Hydrogels in Agriculture: Environmental Performance, Sustainability Challenges, and Future Perspectives
A review assessed the environmental performance and degradation behavior of polymeric hydrogels used in agriculture as soil moisture-retaining agents. The study raises concerns about whether these materials break down safely or contribute to microplastic accumulation in farmland soils.
Smart Hydrogels for Sustainable Agriculture
This article reviews how "smart hydrogels" -- materials that can absorb and slowly release water and nutrients -- could transform agriculture by reducing water waste and excessive chemical use. While not directly about microplastics, these gel-based systems could help reduce the environmental contamination that comes from conventional farming practices. The authors highlight that more research is needed to make these materials practical and affordable for widespread farm use.
An overview: exploring the potential of fruit and vegetable waste and by-products in food biodegradable packaging
Researchers reviewed how fruit and vegetable processing waste — rich in polyphenols, vitamins, and fiber — can be transformed into biodegradable food packaging films and coatings, offering an eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastic packaging. Repurposing food waste this way could simultaneously reduce plastic pollution (including microplastics from packaging degradation) and address agricultural waste disposal challenges.
Development of Biodegradable Films from Carrot, Guava, and Banana Peel Fibers for Environmental Packaging Applications
Despite its classification in this database, this study develops biodegradable packaging films from fruit and vegetable fibers rather than investigating microplastic pollution directly. Films made from 60% guava fiber with 1.8% alginate showed the best mechanical properties and highest soil degradation rate, offering a potential alternative to conventional plastic packaging.
Effect of microplastics used in agronomic practices on agricultural soil properties and plant functions: Potential contribution to the circular economy of rural areas
Researchers measured the effects of microplastics used in common agricultural practices — including mulch film residues and irrigation-delivered particles — on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Microplastic presence altered soil aggregation, water retention, and microbial community composition, with effects depending on plastic concentration, polymer type, and soil texture.
Enhancing Soil Resilience: Bacterial Alginate Hydrogel vs. Algal Alginate in Mitigating Agricultural Challenges
This paper is not about microplastics; it compares bacterial and algal alginate hydrogels as natural soil conditioners to improve the structural and hydraulic properties of degraded soils.
Microplastics accumulation in agricultural soil: Evidence for the presence, potential effects, extraction, and current bioremediation approaches
This review examines the accumulation of microplastics in agricultural soils from sources like plastic mulching and irrigation, discussing their effects on soil properties and crop growth, along with current bioremediation approaches for removing soil microplastics.
Development of Biodegradable Rigid Foams from Pineapple Field Waste
Not relevant to microplastics — this paper develops biodegradable rigid foam materials from pineapple agricultural waste (starch and cellulose) as a sustainable packaging alternative to petroleum-based plastics.
Development and characterization of a carboxymethyl cellulose-alginate hybrid superabsorbent hydrogel designed for water management in agriculture
Researchers formulated a carboxymethyl cellulose and sodium alginate hydrogel for agricultural water retention, optimizing it to absorb over 1,600 times its weight in water while remaining thermally stable and reusable — offering a bio-based alternative to synthetic superabsorbent polymers that contribute to microplastic pollution in farmland soils.
Use Of Organic Fruit Residues To Obtain Bioplastics
Researchers investigated the use of organic fruit waste as a raw material for producing bioplastics, exploring a range of fruit types and processing methods to develop petroleum-free alternatives to conventional single-use plastics. The review aligns bioplastic production from agricultural residues with circular economy principles and growing demand for environmentally friendly packaging solutions.
Potential impacts of microplastic pollution on soil–water–plant dynamics
Researchers tested how different shapes and sizes of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) microplastics affect a soil's ability to hold water, finding that fragment-shaped microplastics increased water retention by up to 36% — a significant change that could alter water availability for crops and affect agricultural planning in contaminated soils.
Microplastics in agricultural soils : effects on physical, chemical, and microbiological processes
This thesis examines how pristine and degraded conventional microplastics (polyethylene and PET) and biodegradable microplastics (PBAT) affect soil physical, chemical, and microbial properties across silty loam and sandy loam soils, integrating five studies involving greenhouse and laboratory experiments to assess impacts on aggregation, water-holding capacity, carbon storage, respiration, nutrient cycling, and microbial community composition.
A spray-on environmentally friendly degradable mulch material and its high efficiency in controlling above-ground biomass of weeds in greenhouse experiments
Not relevant to microplastics — this study develops a spray-on biodegradable mulch material from rapeseed oil, starch, and sodium alginate as an alternative to plastic mulch films for weed control, relevant to reducing plastic use in agriculture but not a microplastic study.
Potentials of Berry Fruits Pomaces for Bio-Based Films
This paper is not directly about microplastic pollution. It investigates using berry fruit pomace waste to create biodegradable bioplastic films as an alternative to conventional plastic packaging. While replacing conventional plastics with biodegradable alternatives could reduce future microplastic generation, the study itself focuses on food packaging material development rather than microplastic contamination.
Impact of Plastic Residues on Soil Properties and Crop Productivity: A Comprehensive Research Study
This agricultural field study assessed how plastic residues at varying contamination levels affect soil physical, chemical, and biological properties and crop productivity, finding that higher microplastic concentrations disrupted soil structure, reduced microbial activity, and lowered plant growth.
Micro and nano plastics in fruits and vegetables: A review.
This review examined how microplastics contaminate fruits and vegetables through root uptake, surface adhesion, and irrigation water, covering analytical methods for detection and highlighting the role of plants as an underappreciated entry point for plastics into the human food chain.
Natural Polymeric Materials: A Solution to Plastic Pollution from the Agro-Food Sector
This review examined biopolymer materials derived from fruit and vegetable food waste — including starch, cellulose, and protein-based polymers — as replacements for petroleum-derived food packaging plastics, discussing extraction processes, material properties, and sustainability advantages.
Exploring banana peels as a renewable source for bioplastic development
Despite its title referencing bioplastics, this paper studies the development of biodegradable films made from banana peel waste and corn starch — not microplastic pollution. It examines mechanical properties and biodegradability of these food-packaging alternatives, and while reducing conventional plastic use is relevant to microplastic prevention, the paper itself does not study microplastics.
Plant-driven strategies for mitigating microplastic pollution in agricultural ecosystems
Researchers review how microplastics damage agricultural soils and crops — disrupting soil structure, starving plants of nutrients, and triggering oxidative stress — and explore plant- and microbe-based strategies like root-associated bacteria and biochar amendments as promising but underexplored tools for cleaning up plastic-contaminated farmland.
Impact of Microplastics on Soil Health: Soil-Water Retention, Shrinkage and Holding Properties
A review of research on microplastics in soil found that plastic particles can alter water retention, shrinkage, and structural properties in ways that could reduce agricultural productivity. Because microplastics are as prevalent in soils as in oceans, their terrestrial impacts warrant much greater research attention.
Microplastics and nanoplastics in agriculture—A potential source of soil and groundwater contamination?
Researchers reviewed how microplastics and nanoplastics (tiny plastic fragments) contaminate agricultural soils and can migrate through the soil into groundwater, potentially carrying pesticides and other chemicals with them. They conclude that current analytical tools are inadequate and that plastic fragmentation in soils is a poorly understood but serious threat to drinking water supplies.
Investigating the characteristics of carboxymethyl cellulose film as a possible material for green packaging
Researchers developed biodegradable carboxymethyl cellulose films from agricultural waste as a potential sustainable alternative to conventional plastic food packaging. Replacing single-use plastics with biodegradable packaging is directly relevant to reducing the source of microplastic pollution, as conventional packaging is a major contributor to plastic fragmentation in the environment.
Tiny toxins, big problems: the hidden threat of microplastic in agroecosystems
This review examines the impacts of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils, covering sources from plastic mulch and irrigation, effects on soil structure, water retention, microbial diversity, and nutrient cycling, and consequences for crop health and food safety.