The fate of post-use biodegradable PBAT-based mulch films buried in agricultural soil.

Autor: Convertino F; Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari, Bari, Italy., Carroccio SC; National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (CNR-IPCB), Catania, Italy., Cocca MC; National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (CNR-IPCB), Pozzuoli (Naples), Italy., Dattilo S; National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (CNR-IPCB), Catania, Italy., Dell'Acqua AC; Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari, Bari, Italy., Gargiulo L; National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (CNR-IPCB), Pozzuoli (Naples), Italy., Nizzetto L; Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Oslo, Norway; Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic., Riccobene PM; National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (CNR-IPCB), Catania, Italy., Schettini E; Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari, Bari, Italy. Electronic address: evelia.schettini@uniba.it., Vox G; Department of Soil, Plant and Food Science, University of Bari, Bari, Italy., Zannini D; National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Technologies 'G. Natta' (CNR-SCITEC), Genova, Italy., Cerruti P; National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (CNR-IPCB), Pozzuoli (Naples), Italy.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The Science of the total environment [Sci Total Environ] 2024 Oct 20; Vol. 948, pp. 174697. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 15.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174697
Abstrakt: The fate of black biodegradable mulch film (MF) based on starch and poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) in agricultural soil is investigated herein. Pristine (BIO-0) and UV-aged film samples (BIO-A192) were buried for 16 months at an experimental field in southern Italy. Visual, physical, chemical, morphological, and mechanical analyses were carried out before and after samples burial. Film residues in the form of macro- and microplastics in soil were analyzed at the end of the trial. Progressive deterioration of both pristine and UV-aged samples, with surface loss and alterations in mechanical properties, occurred from 42 days of burial. After 478 days, the apparent surface of BIO-0 and BIO-A192 films decreased by 57 % and 66 %, respectively. Burial determined a rapid depletion of starch from the polymeric blend, especially for the BIO-A192, while the degradation of the polyester phase was slower. Upon burial, an enrichment of aromatic moieties of PBAT in the film residues was observed, as well as microplastics release to soil. The analysis of the MF degradation products extracted from soil (0.006-0.008 % by mass in the soil samples) revealed the predominant presence of adipate moieties. After 478 days of burial, about 23 % and 17 % of the initial amount of BIO-0 and BIO-A192, respectively, were extracted from the soil. This comprehensive study underscores the complexity of biodegradation phenomena that involve the new generation of mulch films in the field. The different biodegradability of the polymeric components, the climate, and the soil conditions that did not strictly meet the parameters required for the standard test method devised for MFs, have significantly influenced their degradation rate. This finding further emphasizes the importance of implementing field experiments to accurately assess the real effects of biodegradable MFs on soil health and overall agroecosystem sustainability.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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