Making Biodegradable Seedling Pots from Textile and Paper Waste—Part B: Development and Evaluation of Seedling Pots

Abstract

This study evaluates the efficacy of using textile waste blended with paper waste to form biodegradable seedling pots. A bio-composite blend of cotton (20% cotton, 40% newspaper, and 40% corrugated cardboard) and polycotton (20% polycotton, 40% newspaper, and 40% corrugated cardboard) with an optimum strength was formed into seedling pots. The appreciated seedling pots (untreated blends of cotton and polycotton) were compared with the commercial pots (cardboard seed starter pot and Jiffy pot) in terms of mechanical properties (tensile strength and compressive strength), biodegradability (soil burial test and anaerobic digestion), and seed germination. The untreated blends of cotton and polycotton pots demonstrated a comparable optimum strength, while the Jiffy pot and cardboard seed starter pot obtained the least tensile and compressive strengths, respectively. The anaerobic biodegradability assay suggests that the cotton blend pot, polycotton blend pot, and cardboard seed starter pot can degrade anaerobically because of high biogas and methane generation potential. A 100% seed germination was observed from the four seedling pots tested. Thus, the results demonstrate the efficacy of utilizing textile waste and paper waste to develop seedling pots with desirable strength and biodegradability compared to the commercial pots.

Sustainable Innovation: Fabrication and Characterization of Mycelium-Based Green Composites for Modern Interior Materials Using Agro-Industrial Wastes and Different Species of Fungi

“…These shapes included a dumbbell-shaped segment (165 × 19 × 10 mm 3 , neck 57 × 13 mm) and two rectangular shapes (150 × 12.7 × 10 mm 3 and 63.5 × 12.7 × 13.0 mm 3 ) [ 16 ]. For producing composite samples for the soil burial test, molds made from acrylic clear sheets were cut into rectangular shapes measuring 50 × 25 × 10 mm 3 , and modified according to the SR EN ISO 846/2000 standard [ 18 ] method for soil burial study [ 19 ]. Before their use in the composites forming process, all molds were sterilized by immersing in a 2% sodium hypochlorite solution for 5 min, followed by 2 rinses using sterile distilled water [ 20 ].…”

“…– is not reported, < is less than, and NB is non-biodegradable during 30 years. * [ 19 , 22 , 24 , 29 , 42 , 55 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 68 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 83 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 ].…”

A Substantial Role of Agro-Textiles in Agricultural Applications

“…Current cultivation practices involve the utilization of herbicides and pesticides to prevent crop losses, however, these interventions are expensive and have a long-lasting ecological impact on soil microflora and the environment (Chowdhury et al, 2017 ). With a significant increase in environmental awareness and development in technology, considerable attention has been diverted to the utilization of textile fibers in agriculture (Kasirajan and Ngouajio, 2012 ). The textile sector plays a vital role in the development and circulation of the world economy, so it is considered one of the largest industries among numerous sectors around the world.…”

Nitrogen Fertigation Rate and Foliar Urea Spray Affect Plant Growth, Nitrogen, and Carbohydrate Compositions of Encore Azalea ‘Chiffon’ Grown in Alternative Containers

“…Alternative containers made from biodegradable materials, such as paper, feather, peat, and coir, have been investigated in recent years to reduce the use of traditional petroleumbased plastic containers and to improve consumer perception of sustainable practices in ornamental plant production [16][17][18][19][20]. Biocontainers made from different materials have been investigated under various production systems and were reported to have varying influences on plant growth and water consumption characteristics [21][22][23][24][25].…”