Sustainable, livestock safe, and eco-friendly sprayable biopolymers for agriculture
Research Poster Engineering 2025 Graduate ExhibitionPresentation by Jaspreet Kaur
Exhibition Number 16
Abstract
The agricultural sector faces a pressing need for sustainable-degradable polymers to address the challenges posed by plastic pollution. This study was designed to develop cost-effective bio-based sprayable agricultural polymers using renewable waste or low value materials (i.e, low-grade woody biomass and chicken feathers) which are compatible with existing farming practices and can provide multiple benefits to agriculture. The objectives of this study were to evaluate these biopolymers as: (i) wrapping material for farm animal feeds and (ii) sprayable multi-benefit mulch for agricultural cropping systems. The biopolymer developed in this study were completely degradable to safe end products and they are edible, digestible and safe for farm animals. These biopolymer wraps withstood one year in a barn-like wooden room without degradation (but some structural changes observed) while it was mostly degraded in 3 months in open environmental conditions. The biopolymer formulation was also evaluated as sprayable mulch in small agricultural plots. The potential impacts of one-time application of this biopolymer formulation on soil water status, soil temperature, weed suppression, soil organic matter content, and soil nitrogen were investigated for soybean production system. The experimental plots comprised of treatment plots (soybean and foxtail weed seeds (Foxtail disambiguation) with the application of biopolymer formulation) and control plots (soybean and foxtail weed seeds). These sprayable formulations had significant and positive impacts on the soil variables tested with increased the soil organic matter content and nitrogen. The mulch suppressed the foxtail weeds growth while enhanced soybean plant production.
Importance
Sprayable biopolymers are the pressing need for agricultural to overcome the potential hazards posed by synthetic plastics. Unlike synthetic mulches, biopolymers developed in this research does not cause soil pollution and do not need to be removed from agricultural fields after their intended use due to their complete degradability in the soil and safe end products. These biopolymers, after their degradation, increase organic matter content and release nitrogen in the soil that may reduce the need for the external chemical fertilizers. Synthetic plastic wraps for animal feed are not digestible in rumen microbes and cause potential health hazards and even may cause deaths in farm animals. But these biopolymers are digestible, edible and safe in rumen microbes.