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Updated: Nov 15, 2025
Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
Published on: May 10, 2013
Preparation of novel biodegradable starch/poly(vinyl alcohol)/bentonite grafted polymeric films for fertilizer
Abhijit Sarkar1, Dipak Ranjan Biswas2, Samar Chandra Datta2
1Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India; Division of Environmental Soil Science, ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal, 462038, India.
Abstract:
Sufficient hydroxyl moiety, ease of accessibility, biodegradability and reaction compatibility with other molecules make starch a basic ingredient for polymeric synthesis and to prepare encapsulated controlled release fertilizers. This article aims to prepare biodegradable clay-polymeric (starch/PVA) blended encapsulating films (CPSBs) from starch/PVA and economically feasible clay-fractioned bentonite for CPSB-encapsulated diammonium phosphate (DAP) production. The XRD, TEM and FTIR spectroscopy recognized the compatibility of bentonite with starch/PVA blend; several micropores in CPSB surface was visible through SEM. Relative crystallinity index, density of CPSBs increased with increasing bentonite content (0-20 wt%); but, porosity, water absorption was decreased. Half-life of CPSB-10 was 37.4, 40.1 and 51.9 days with Aspergillus awamori, Trichoderma viride and uninoculated soil, respectively. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) release data from CPSB-encapsulated-DAP and uncoated DAP fitted well to Korsmeyer-Peppas model. Overall, greater bentonite content stabilizes the CPSB structure and CPSB-encapsulation reduced the N and P release from DAP.
