Black Silver/Black Agriculture Mulch Film Moisture-Proof Anti-Grass with Holes Soft Plastic Mulch for Fruits

Ideal vs. Reality: Technological Breakthroughs and Promotion Bottlenecks of Fully Biodegradable Mulch Films

Fully biodegradable mulch films are hailed as the ultimate ideal material for eradicating "white pollution," but their commercialization has not been without its challenges. Currently, the mainstream technological approach primarily involves blending bio-based materials (such as polylactic acid, PLA) with petroleum-based biodegradable materials (such as PBAT). However, achieving performance comparable to traditional mulch films while controlling costs still requires overcoming several key obstacles.

The core challenge lies in "controllability":

Matching the degradation cycle with crop growth: Ideally, mulch films should remain stable in the early stages of crop growth and degrade rapidly after harvest. However, the degradation rate of current products is greatly affected by temperature, humidity, and soil microbial environment, potentially leading to "cracking before harvest" or "undegradable after harvest," affecting moisture retention and subsequent cultivation.

Balancing mechanical strength with cost: To ensure laying strength, it is often necessary to increase thickness or adjust material ratios, resulting in raw material costs far exceeding those of traditional PE mulch films (usually 2-3 times higher). This is the biggest hurdle affecting farmers' acceptance.

The lack of a unified evaluation and certification system has led to a market flooded with products of varying quality. Some products claiming to be "biodegradable" are actually "disintegrating" oxidatively degradable plastics, still leaving behind microplastic pollution. Establishing authoritative national standards, testing methods, and product labeling systems is crucial.