Mechanical Properties of Metallocene Linear Low-Density Polyethylene Mulch Films Correlate with Ultraviolet Irradiation and Film Thickness

Kai Guo, Mingzhu Cao (), Fengwei Gu, Feng Wu, Hongguang Yang, Hongbo Xu and Zhichao Hu ()
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Kai Guo: Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China
Mingzhu Cao: Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China
Fengwei Gu: Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China
Feng Wu: Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China
Hongguang Yang: Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China
Hongbo Xu: Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China
Zhichao Hu: Nanjing Institute of Agricultural Mechanization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Nanjing 210014, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: Mulching technology has created a major problem of agricultural plastic pollution. This is because the mulch is severely degraded by UV (ultraviolet) irradiation and the mechanical properties deteriorate, which makes mechanical recycling or manual recycling difficult. This study was conducted on m-LLDPE (metallocene linear low-density polyethylene) mulch films. The difference in mechanical properties of specimens in the TD (transverse direction) and PD (parallel direction) was investigated, and the changes in the mechanical properties after UV irradiation were compared. Finally, an initial mulch mechanical property evaluation model was developed to adapt to different recovery machines and crop agronomic requirements. The results suggest that the mechanical properties of m-LLDPE mulch films were strongly influenced by the film thickness, and also showed directional differences in tensile and tear properties. After UV irradiation, the mechanical properties of the specimens were enhanced after a short period of time, but the overall trend was a non-linear decay which gradually slowed down with time.

Keywords: plastic pollution; UV irradiation; mulch film; mechanical properties; evaluation model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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