As a “magic weapon” for increasing agricultural production, mulching technology has long been widely used in the cultivation of crops such as grains, vegetables, and fruits. It effectively locks in soil moisture, raises ground temperature, and suppresses weed growth, helping crops emerge earlier, mature earlier, and achieve higher yields. However, the “white pollution” caused by traditional plastic mulch has long been a major challenge to sustainable agricultural development. These polyethylene mulches are difficult to degrade in the natural environment, and residual film fragments accumulate in the soil year after year, disrupting the soil aggregate structure, hindering water and fertilizer penetration, and even leading to poor root development and reduced yield and quality. Now, a disruptive product is changing this dilemma: fully biodegradable non-woven mulch, which decomposes naturally in 60 days, opening a new path for agriculture to eliminate plastic pollution.
What is fully biodegradable non-woven mulch?
Fully biodegradable non-woven mulch is fundamentally different from traditional plastic mulch. It is made from biodegradable biomass materials such as corn starch, plant fibers, and polylactic acid (PLA), and is manufactured through a specialized spinning, web-forming, and reinforcement process to create a non-woven structure. This type of mulch not only retains the insulation, water retention, and weed control properties of traditional mulch, but its core advantage lies in its “full lifecycle environmental friendliness.” After completing its crop-covering function, it requires no manual recycling. After approximately 60 days in the soil, it undergoes natural environmental processes (microbial decomposition, temperature and humidity catalysis) and gradually degrades into carbon dioxide, water, and organic matter. Ultimately, it is fully integrated into the soil, leaving no polluting residue, truly achieving the goal of “from the soil, back to the soil.”
60-Day Natural Decomposition: The Science Behind It
The rapid degradation of fully biodegradable non-woven mulch is a result of both its raw material properties and its structural design. Natural ingredients in the mulch, such as corn starch and plant fibers, serve as “natural food” for soil microorganisms (such as bacteria and fungi). Microorganisms secrete specific enzymes that break down these high-molecular-weight materials into small sugars and organic acids, which are then metabolized into carbon dioxide and water. While synthetic biodegradable materials like polylactic acid (PLA) degrade more slowly, they also gradually break down their ester bonds under the action of soil microorganisms, ultimately breaking down into harmless substances. From a structural perspective, the porous structure of nonwoven fabrics provides ample attachment space for microorganisms and allows soil moisture and oxygen to penetrate more freely into the film, accelerating microbial growth and metabolism. Compared to the dense structure of traditional plastic mulch, the loose mesh structure of nonwoven fabrics significantly shortens the degradation cycle. Laboratory data and field trials have shown that under suitable temperatures of 20-30°C and soil moisture maintained at 60%-80%, this type of mulch can achieve a degradation rate of over 90% within 60 days after harvest, fully meeting the “zero residue” requirement for agricultural production.
Fully biodegradable nonwoven mulch: Advantages beyond “degradability”
In addition to their core environmental benefits, fully biodegradable nonwoven mulch demonstrates superior practical value in agricultural applications compared to traditional plastic mulch, truly achieving a balance between environmental protection and high efficiency. (I) Performance Adaptability: Meeting Diverse Cultivation Needs
Fully biodegradable non-woven mulch films offer excellent tensile strength and weather resistance, making them resistant to damage when laid in the field. They can withstand wind and rain, ensuring effective coverage throughout the growing season. Furthermore, they can be customized to meet the needs of different crops in terms of thickness, air permeability, and light transmittance. For example, when growing vegetables, thin, highly light-transmitting mulch films can be chosen to promote rapid seedling growth; when growing dryland crops like cotton and corn, thick, highly water-retaining mulch films can be chosen to enhance soil moisture retention. Furthermore, the breathable structure of non-woven fabrics prevents soil hypoxia caused by the “stifling” of traditional plastic mulch films, reducing the risk of crop root rot and improving crop quality.
(II) Labor-Saving: Reducing Agricultural Production Costs
Traditional plastic mulch films require manual recycling after harvest, which is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive (recycling takes one to two hours per acre and is prone to debris), but also increases labor costs for farmers. Fully biodegradable non-woven mulch does not require recycling. After the crops are harvested, normal tillage work is all that’s needed, and the mulch will naturally degrade in the soil, eliminating the labor and time required for recycling. For wheat cultivation in North my country, for example, using fully biodegradable mulch can save 50-80 yuan per mu in labor costs while also avoiding subsequent crop yield losses caused by incomplete recycling.
(III) Soil Improvement: Long-Term Contribution to Sustainable Agriculture
The organic matter produced by the degradation of fully biodegradable non-woven mulch replenishes nutrients, improves soil aggregate structure, and enhances soil fertility. Long-term use of this type of mulch not only avoids soil compaction, as with traditional plastic mulch, but also gradually improves the soil’s ability to retain water and fertilizer. Long-term experimental field observations in Henan and Shandong provinces have shown that plots using fully biodegradable non-woven mulch for three consecutive years have seen soil organic matter content increase by 0.2%-0.3% compared to plots using traditional mulch, soil bulk density decreases by approximately 10%, and crop yields increase by an average of 5%-8%. Field Practice: Promoting Success in Multiple Areas
Currently, fully biodegradable non-woven mulch films have been deployed in large-scale demonstrations across several provinces in my country, covering a wide range of crops, including wheat, corn, vegetables, and fruits, achieving significant economic and environmental benefits.
In the corn-growing areas of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, traditional mulch film residue previously prevented corn roots from penetrating the film fragments, resulting in reduced yields. In 2023, the local rollout of fully biodegradable non-woven mulch films not only increased corn emergence by 3% and yields by 120 kilograms per mu, but also completely degraded within 60 days of harvest, leaving no residue in the soil. Farmer Wang said, “Before, after harvesting the corn, I had to bend over and pick up the mulch film, which was tiring and difficult to clean. Now, using this biodegradable mulch film saves a lot of time, and the soil in the fields is becoming increasingly loose.”
At vegetable cultivation bases in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, fully biodegradable non-woven mulch films have become a standard feature of “green vegetables.” The base manager explained that tomatoes and eggplants grown using this type of mulch film not only experience fewer pests and diseases, but also achieve more uniform fruit coloring. Furthermore, because the film leaves no residue, the vegetables have earned green food certification, resulting in a purchase price 0.5 yuan higher per kilogram than regular vegetables, increasing income by nearly 3,000 yuan per mu.
Future Outlook: Promoting a “Plastic-Free” Transition to Agriculture
The emergence of fully biodegradable non-woven mulch films not only addresses the pollution issues associated with traditional mulch films but also promotes the transition to green, circular, and sustainable agricultural production methods. With continued technological advancements, this type of mulch film will see further upgrades in the future. For example, the development of “intelligent biodegradable” mulch films, which incorporate temperature-sensitive materials to achieve “on-demand degradation” (automatically adjusting degradation speed based on the crop’s growth period), and the development of “functional” biodegradable mulch films, incorporating slow-release fertilizers and insect repellent ingredients, further improve crop yield and quality.
At the same time, policy support is also safeguarding the promotion of fully biodegradable mulch films. Currently, many provinces in my country have included fully biodegradable mulch films in their green agricultural development subsidy programs, offering farmers subsidies ranging from 20 to 50 yuan per mu (approximately 1.5 acres). Some regions have also established “degradable mulch film promotion and demonstration bases” to provide farmers with technical guidance and application training.
We believe that driven by technological innovation, policy support, and market demand, fully biodegradable non-woven mulch films will gradually replace traditional plastic mulch films and become the “new standard” for agricultural production, helping Chinese agriculture completely bid farewell to “white pollution” and move towards a new stage of green and sustainable development.
Dongguan Liansheng Non woven Technology Co., Ltd. was established in May 2020. It is a large-scale non-woven fabric production enterprise integrating research and development, production, and sales. It can produce various colors of PP spunbond non-woven fabrics with a width of less than 3.2 meters from 9 grams to 300 grams.
Post time: Oct-10-2025