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Soil Degradation of Polylactic Acid/Polyhydroxyalkanoate-Based Nonwoven Mulches

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Abstract

The soil degradation of fully biobased agricultural mulches prepared from polylactic acid (PLA) and blends of PLA and poly3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate (polyhydroxyalkanoate, or PHA) using nonwoven textile technology was compared to that of a commercial biodegradable mulch film, BioTelo (Dubois Agrinovation, Waterford, Canada). The addition of PHA to PLA to the feedstock blend produced nonwovens that possessed lower tensile strength and molecular weight and increased the average fiber diameter of mulches. A meltblown (MB) nonwoven mulch prepared from a PLA–PHA 72/28 w/w blend underwent the greatest degradation, achieving a 78 % loss of tensile strength and a 25.9 % decrease of weight-averaged molecular weight during 10 and 30 week of soil burial, respectively. The mass fraction of PHA decreased during soil burial, suggesting the preferential microbial assimilation of PHA over PLA. BioTelo underwent a 29 % loss of tensile strength but no appreciable change of molecular weight for its chloroform-soluble components. In contrast, spunbond (SB) PLA mulches did not undergo any appreciable degradation during the 30 week soil burial studies. The results suggest that the MB–PLA + PHA nonwoven may serve as a potentially valuable biodegradable agricultural mulch, and that SB–PLA may be useful as a compostable material for long-term agricultural applications, such as row covers and landscape fabrics. A soil degradation study of MB–PLA + PHA that directly compared untreated compost-enriched soil to sterilized soil-compost mixture demonstrated that the loss of tensile strength occurred only in the unsterilized soil, suggesting this event is directly associated with soil microorganisms.

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Abbreviations

BDM:

“Biodegradable” mulch

CB:

Carbon black (dyeing agent)

CFU:

Colony forming units (quantification of microorganisms)

DSC:

Differential scanning calorimetry

GPC:

Gel permeation chromatography

LSD:

Least significant difference (statistical analysis method)

MB:

Meltblown nonwoven mulches

Mw :

Weight-averaged molecular weight

PDI:

Polydispersity index

PHA:

Polyhydroxyalkanoate

PLA:

Poloylactic acid

SB:

Spunbond nonwoven mulches

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

Tc :

Crystallization temperature (°C)

Tg :

Glass transition temperature (°C)

Tm :

Melting temperature (°C)

UT:

University of Tennessee

Xc,PLA :

Fraction of PLA residing in crystalline morphology

ΔHc :

Crystallization enthalpy (J g−1)

ΔHm :

Melting enthalpy (J g−1)

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded through a grant from the NIFA Specialty Crops Research Initiative, USDA SCRI-SREP Grant Award No. 2009-02484. The authors thank Natureworks (Blair, NE, USA) and GreenBio (Tianjin, China) for donation of PLA (Ingeo™ 6202D) and PHA feedstocks, respectively. Dr. Arnold M. Saxton (Animal Sciences Dept., UT) assisted with the statistical analysis. Dr. Mark Radosevich [Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science (BESS) Dept., UT] provided facilities and expertise for the sterilization of soil, Experiment B. Dr. William Klingeman and Mr. Phil Flanagan (Plant Sciences Dept., UT) provided access and maintenance of the greenhouse used to conduct the experiment. Dr. Nicole Labbé and Ms. Lindsey Kline (Center for Renewal Carbon, UT) assisted with FTIR data collection. Drs. Elodie Hablot and Ramani Narayan (Chemical and Materials Engineering Dept., Michigan State University), provided facilities for the measurement of tensile strength for Experiment A. Mr. Rob Raley (BESS Dept., UT) assisted in collecting soil moisture and temperature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, University of Tennessee, 2506 E.J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996-4531, USA

    Sathiskumar Dharmalingam, Douglas G. Hayes, Larry C. Wadsworth, Rachel N. Dunlap, Jennifer M. DeBruyn & Jaehoon Lee

  2. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, 2431 Joe Johnson Drive, 252 Ellington Plant Science Building, Knoxville, TN, 37996-4561, USA

    Annette L. Wszelaki

Authors
  1. Sathiskumar Dharmalingam
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  2. Douglas G. Hayes
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  3. Larry C. Wadsworth
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  6. Jaehoon Lee
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Correspondence to Douglas G. Hayes.

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Dharmalingam, S., Hayes, D.G., Wadsworth, L.C. et al. Soil Degradation of Polylactic Acid/Polyhydroxyalkanoate-Based Nonwoven Mulches. J Polym Environ 23, 302–315 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-015-0716-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-015-0716-9

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