Soil Degradable Bioplastics for a Sustainable Modern Agriculture

192 Pages·2017·4.473 MB·English

by  Mario Malinconico (eds.)

Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology
Mario Malinconico Editor
Soil Degradable
Bioplastics for
a Sustainable
Modern
Agriculture
Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology
Series editors
Prof. Liang-Nian He
State Key Lab of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin,
China
Prof. Robin D. Rogers
Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Prof. Dangsheng Su
DalianNationalLaboratoryforCleanEnergy,DalianInstituteofChemicalPhysics,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China
Prof. Pietro Tundo
Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari
University of Venice, Venice, Italy
Prof. Z. Conrad Zhang
Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian,
China
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The series Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology aims to present
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and bioenergies, hydrogen, fuel cells, solar cells, lithium-ion batteries etc.)
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energy saving, waste minimization, efficient separation processes etc.)
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accessible reference resource for postgraduate students, academic researchers and
industrial professionals who are interested in green chemistry and technologies for
sustainable development.
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11661
Mario Malinconico
Editor
Soil Degradable Bioplastics
for a Sustainable Modern
Agriculture
123
Editor
Mario Malinconico
Institute for Polymers, Composites
andBiomaterials(IPCB-CNR)
Pozzuoli
Italy
ISSN 2196-6982 ISSN 2196-6990 (electronic)
Green Chemistry andSustainable Technology
ISBN978-3-662-54128-9 ISBN978-3-662-54130-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-54130-2
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Preface
Whenin1948Prof.E.M.Emmertbuilt,forthefirsttimeintheworld,agreenhouse
coveredwithplasticsheets(celluloseacetatefilm),maybehedidnotimaginethata
realrevolutionintheagricultureworldwasstarting.ProfessorEmmertused,forhis
first trial, four ft square plastic films that replaced the glass sheets, employed for
traditional greenhouses, up to that time used just in top botanical gardens, to grow
and study tropical plants and flowers. Initially, his goal was to realize a new
greenhouse made with innovative and cheaper materials. The experimental results
were so appealing to extend the use of plastic film for mulching and low tunnel.
Later, Prof. Emmert moved to a more efficient polyethylene film. Thanks to his
studies and his great contribution to agriculture, he is worldwide considered “the
father of plastic greenhouse.”
Eversince,theso-calledplasticulturehasextendedandbroughtmanyimportant
benefits to modern agriculture, among which it is necessary to highlight the
reduction of water consumption and loss of minerals, the reduction of use of
chemicals for spontaneous weed control, the possibility to manipulate light, to
thermally insulate the crops, to provide mechanical protection.
Where are we today? About 5 million tons of agricultural plastic resin is used
worldwide and the number is growing. Films’ application has been extended to
other items, such as sheets, rods, tubing, and transplanting pots. Burning these
plasticsinthefieldsisnotanoptionbecauseitcontributestoseriousenvironmental
air andparticulatepollution.Therefore,thispractice isbeing phased outandmany
countries have strict regulatory bans on plastic film burning. Collection, cleaning,
and recycling these plastics to same or other products offers an approach to
managing plastic waste and there are several companies that offer these services.
Nevertheless,acompleteanalysisofthemanagingandrunningcostsofcollections,
grinding, cleaning, and recycling plastics shows that, at least for some items,
material recycling is economically and environmentally unsustainable, and soil
degradation would be a feasible and desirable managing option.
Althoughagriculturesoildegradableplasticshavestillalessthanonedigitshare
of the market of plastics, they are growing at very fast rate, and the properties of
biodegradable compostable plastics have even opened new fields of applications
v
vi Preface
which were not possible with polyolefin-based plastics (for example, soil degrad-
able nursing, and transplanting pots).
This book originates from at least 30 years’ experience of soil degradable
plastics for agriculture. The seven chapters span from films for mulching, direct
cover, and tunnel to other applications. Some chapters open windows to future
technologies, such as biodegradable waterborne varnishes, which are still far from
technological maturity. The authors, to whom goes my gratitude, are among those
who made most of their research efforts, in academia and in public and private
research centers, to design, process, test, and optimize the plastics, either biobased
or synthetic, and to assist the development of norms and directives. Harmonized
environmental norms and directives are absolutely necessary. We must be con-
sciousthataman-madematerialwhichisdesignedtoremaininthenatureafteruse
poses ethical problems on the top of the reasons of technology, economy, and
profit.
This book is dedicated to Rosario Palumbo and Gianni Maglio, retired
Professors of Chemistry atUniversity of Naples FedericoII, andto Alfonso Maria
Liquori,ProfessorofChemistryatUniversityofRomeTorVergata(deceased).By
their teaching and their moral rectitude, they have strongly contributed to my
human and scientific personality.
Naturam expelles furca tamen usque recurret (Orazio, Epist., I, 10, 24)
Pozzuoli, Italy Mario Malinconico
Contents
1 The World of Plasticulture..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 1
Pasquale Mormile, Noam Stahl and Mario Malinconico
2 Biodegradable and Biobased Plastics: An Overview. .... ..... .... 23
Ramani Narayan
3 Biodegradable Materials in Agriculture: Case Histories
and Perspectives .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 35
Sara Guerrini, Giorgio Borreani and Henk Voojis
4 Agronomic Effects of Biodegradable Films on Crop
and Field Environment... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 67
Lluís Martín-Closas, Joan Costa and Ana M. Pelacho
5 Biodegradable Spray Mulching and Nursery Pots:
New Frontiers for Research .... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 105
Gabriella Santagata, Evelia Schettini, Giuliano Vox,
Barbara Immirzi, Giacomo Scarascia Mugnozza
and Mario Malinconico
6 Standards for Soil Biodegradable Plastics. .... .... .... ..... .... 139
Demetres Briassoulis and Francesco Degli Innocenti
7 Life Cycle and Environmental Cycle Assessment
of Biodegradable Plastics for Agriculture . .... .... .... ..... .... 169
Francesco Razza and Alessandro K. Cerutti
vii
Contributors
Giorgio Borreani DISAFA, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Demetres Briassoulis Agricultural Engineering Department, Agricultural
University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Alessandro K. Cerutti Department of Agriculture, Forestry Food Science,
University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Joan Costa Department of Horticulture, Botany and Gardening, ETSEA
University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
Francesco Degli Innocenti Novamont S.p.A., Novara, Italy
Sara Guerrini Novamont, Novara, Italy
Barbara Immirzi Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials
(IPCB-CNR), Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
Mario Malinconico Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials
(IPCB-CNR), Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
LluísMartín-Closas DepartmentofHorticulture,BotanyandGardening,ETSEA
University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
Pasquale Mormile Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems “E.
Caianiello” (ISASI) of CNR, Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
Ramani Narayan Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Ana M. Pelacho Department of Horticulture, Botany and Gardening, ETSEA
University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
Francesco Razza Novamont, Terni, Italy
Gabriella Santagata Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials
(IPCB-CNR), Pozzuoli, NA, Italy
ix
x Contributors
Giacomo Scarascia Mugnozza Department of Agricultural and Environmental
Science (DISAAT), University of Bari, Bari, Italy
Evelia Schettini Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science
(DISAAT), University of Bari, Bari, Italy
Noam Stahl Ginegar Plastic Products Ltd., Kibbutz Ginegar, Israel
Henk Voojis Amsterdam, The Netherlands
GiulianoVox DepartmentofAgriculturalandEnvironmentalScience(DISAAT),
University of Bari, Bari, Italy