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Evaluation of Biodegradable Films Made of Waste Mycelium and Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) on the Yield of Pak-Choi

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Abstract

Novel biodegradable films were prepared via blending of poly (vinyl alcohol) and waste mycelium from sauce residue and citric acid fermentation residue, respectively. The performance of these two types of films when used as alternative covers for pak-choi growth under semi-arid climatic conditions was evaluated via field test towards their abilities for water retention and biodegradation, together with the impact on the yield and nutritional quality of pak-choi. Experimental results showed that the use of these films could result in 50% higher water retention than a blank control film after 96-h treatment at 40 °C. Films were biodegraded within 14 weeks under natural conditions, leading to a significant mineralization, progressively releasing over 56% of K+, NO3 −, Mg2+ and organics, beneficial for plant growth as fertilizer. The yield of pak-choi was increased by 80% in weight when using these films compared with the unmulched control. Compared to those treated with traditional LDPE mulching film, the average contents of chlorophyll, crude protein and soluble sugar in pak-choi were increased by 52.9, 7.2, 80.7% (blends of sauce residue) and 26.7, 11.4, 10.8% (blends of citric acid fermentation residue), respectively.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to pay tribute to the following institutions for their sincere support: National Natural Science Foundation of China (20876008, 21076009), the National Basic Research Program (973 Program) of China (2007CB714305), the (863) High Technology Project (2008AA062401), the Chinese Universities Scientific Fund (ZZ1024) and Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-100212).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, PO Box 53, Beijing, 100029, People’s Republic of China

    Lei Shi, Lilong Ao, Hu Kang & Haijia Su

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  1. Lei Shi
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  2. Lilong Ao
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  3. Hu Kang
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  4. Haijia Su
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Correspondence to Haijia Su.

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Shi, L., Ao, L., Kang, H. et al. Evaluation of Biodegradable Films Made of Waste Mycelium and Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) on the Yield of Pak-Choi. J Polym Environ 20, 492–500 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-011-0404-3

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