Development and Evaluation of Biodegradable Weed Control Mulch Mats from End-of-Use Cotton Waste

Huantian Cao (), Kendall Ludwig, Kelly Cobb, Carmyia Scott, Yan Jin, Bridget Knight, Mary Burrichter and Hongqing Shen
Additional contact information
Huantian Cao: Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Kendall Ludwig: Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Kelly Cobb: Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Carmyia Scott: Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Yan Jin: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Bridget Knight: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Mary Burrichter: Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
Hongqing Shen: Cotton Incorporated, Cary, NC 27513, USA

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-17

Abstract: This research used end-of-use cotton apparel to develop mulch mats, a type of agrotextiles. The researchers collected and sorted end-of-use garments to obtain cotton textile waste. These end-of-use garments were deconstructed to obtain shredded textiles and big pieces of textiles. Using the textiles from deconstructed end-of-use garments, together with a small amount of new cotton fibers, the researchers used a Feltloom to develop needle-punched nonwoven fabrics that can be used as mulch mats. The researchers tested textile properties of these mulch mats and conducted agricultural field tests for weed control and pot tests for biodegradation. The researchers also tested the mulch mats’ soil moisture infiltration, and impact on water evaporation. The nonwoven mulch mats made from end-of-use garments have excellent weed inhibition capability and biodegradability. Compared to plastic mulch sheet, the nonwoven mulch mats are better for water utilization in rainfall watering and sprinkle irrigation but poorer in water conservation in drip irrigation. Considering durability, biodegradability, and soil temperature regulation, it is recommended to use 100% cotton and felt four times to produce mulch mats from end-of-use garments.

Keywords: agrotextile; mulch mats; weed control; biodegradation; cotton; waste; sustainability; circularity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/16/7083/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/16/7083/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:16:p:7083-:d:1458784

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().