Harbin Institute of Technology Launches "Paper Mulch," Fully Biodegradable
On August 25th, the Lankao County Integrated Media Center highlighted the Harbin Institute of Technology Zhengzhou Research Institute's efforts to empower rural revitalization through science and technology. The report covered how the Institute's biomass resource utilization team addressed salinization issues exacerbated by the use of plastic mulch in Lankao County's honeydew melon industry. Using "paper mulch" and humic acid fertilizers, they effectively transformed melon fields, improving yield and quality. This project, a demonstration of an agricultural ecological cycle, brought the paper to life in the Central Plains.
The following is the report's details: Lankao Agriculture Unlocks New Momentum with "Paper Mulch," Laboratory Results Prove Powerful in the Field.
Lankao Integrated Media Reporter Li Zhanfei:
Today I visited the Zhengkailan Science and Technology Innovation Industrial Park. This room is the exhibition hall of our Harbin Zhenglan Innovation Research and Development Platform. Look at this roll of "kraft paper" in my hand. Guess what it can be used for? I'm sure you won't guess: it's actually a type of mulch.
Yu Yanling, doctoral supervisor at Harbin Institute of Technology and head of the Biomass Resource Utilization Team at the Harbin Institute of Technology Zhengzhou Research Institute, said:
Currently, this paper mulch technology has been demonstrated and applied at our planting bases, such as Sanyizhai and Grape Rack in Lankao, with excellent results.
It may look like ordinary paper, but it's called paper mulch because it has some special properties.
First, you can see that it has strong light-blocking properties. So, when it's laid as a mulch, it suppresses weeds, preventing them from growing.
Second, it's permeable to water and air. Our mulch has been soaked in water for a long time, so even if you pull it, its wet strength remains high.
This is the raw material-straw. We then make the straw into pulp. This is the pulp we make. You can see that the resulting humic acid liquid is called "straw liquid," which we can also call "straw liquid." We will later use it as a soil conditioner. Take a look at the sand table. This is a standard mulch film, which is non-degradable. This type of mulch film remains non-degradable after the crop's entire growth cycle. Its degradation period in the soil is 200-400 years, and the resulting microplastic particles can accumulate through the food chain, posing a health hazard. Our paper mulch film, on the other hand, is fully degradable. Its degradation products are not only pollution-free but also increase soil organic matter and crop yields.
Li Zhanfei, Lankao Media Reporter:
Afterwards, we joined the expert team to visit the experimental fields covered with paper mulch. The honeydew melon seedlings are growing incredibly well!
Yu Yanling, Ph.D. Supervisor at Harbin Institute of Technology and Head of the Biomass Resource Utilization Team at the Harbin Institute of Technology Zhengzhou Research Institute:
Based in Lankao, our team established a pilot production center for paper mulch film and conducted local demonstrations, increasing the technological content of Lankao's agriculture. Furthermore, we hope to establish an ecological recycling model based on paper mulch film in Lankao and promote it nationwide.
