RT Journal Article
T1 Tube shelters from agricultural plastic waste: An example of circular economy
A1 Martínez Urreaga, Joaquín
A1 Beltrán González, Freddys R.
A1 Acosta García, Jessica
A1 Aguinaco Castro, María Teresa
A1 Fonseca Valero, Carmen
A1 Ochoa Mendoza, Almudena
A1 Oliet-Palá, Juan
A1 Gonzalez Sánchez, Carlos
A1 Orden Hernández, María Ulagares De La
AB The use of recycled plastics in applications similar to those of the original plastic is of great interest for the fulfillment of the circular economy policies objectives. In this work, the feasibility of using recycled agricultural plastics in the manufacture of tube shelters for plant seedlings, which can be used in forest restoration and other plantations, has been investigated. The recycled plastics and their blends with a virgin polyethylene were characterized using spectroscopic techniques and thermal analysis. The effects of the recycled plastics on the optical and mechanical properties of the blends, which are key properties in the selection of materials for tube shelters, were measured using UVeVis spectroscopy and tensile testing. Thermal stability and degradation during an accelerated aging test were also investigated. The use of recycled plastics did not alter the stability of the blends, but there were decreases in elongation at break and UV and blue light transmission, with small decreases in red light transmission and withoutsignificant changes in the red-far red ratio. Blends with less than 50 wt% of recycled plastics show only small decreases in the elongation and provide an adequate light transmission for seedlings. Therefore, the results indicate that significant amounts of recycled agricultural plastics can be used in the manufacture of tube shelters, with both economic and environmental advantages.
PB Elsevier
SN 0959-6526
YR 2020
FD 2020-09-20
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/115282
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/115282
LA eng
NO Martínez Urreaga J, Beltrán FR, Acosta J, Aguinaco T, Fonseca C, Ochoa A, et al. Tube shelters from agricultural plastic waste: An example of circular economy. Journal of Cleaner Production 2020;268:122401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122401.
NO Received 25 May 2019, Revised 25 November 2019, Accepted 19 May 2020, Available online 20 May 2020, Version of Record 26 May 2020.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 860407 BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE, as well as from MINECO-Spain (project CTM2017-88989-P). The authors also acknowledge the financial support of Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (project UPM RP 160543006).
NO European Commission
NO Miisterio de Economía y Competitividad (España)
NO Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 21 abr 2025