Upcycling Sargassum biomass into biodegradable mulch films via sodium alginate and recycled polyvinyl alcohol

IF 5.8 Q2 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Materials Advances Pub Date : 2026-05-11 DOI:10.1039/D5MA01298H

Aldair Etmar Garcia, Mengyao Gao, Jing-Xian Chen, Ying Wang and Seth W. Snyder

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Abstract

Sargassum accumulations along tropical coastlines create major environmental and socioeconomic burdens due to odor, ecosystem disruption, and high cleanup costs. Here, we develop biodegradable mulch films that valorize Sargassum-derived sodium alginate (SA) blended with recycled polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), glycerol (plasticizer), and zein (functional additive), followed by beeswax surface coating to improve water resistance. The coated films achieved tunable hydrophobicity (water contact angle 73.6–116.5°) and tensile strength of ≥8 MPa (up to ∼13 MPa without coating), with strong UV shielding (<1% transmittance below 400 nm). Under outdoor rainfall and sunlight exposure, double-side coated films fully degraded within 35 days. Soil safety was supported by OECD Guideline 207 testing with Eisenia fetida, showing 0% mortality. These results demonstrate a low-toxicity pathway to convert Sargassum waste and recycled polymer into functional biodegradable mulch films for agricultural applications.

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通过海藻酸钠和再生聚乙烯醇将马尾藻生物质升级为可生物降解的地膜

由于气味、生态系统破坏和高昂的清理成本，马尾藻在热带海岸线的积累造成了重大的环境和社会经济负担。在这里，我们开发了可生物降解的地膜，将马尾草衍生的海藻酸钠（SA）与再生聚乙烯醇（PVA）、甘油（增塑剂）和玉米蛋白（功能添加剂）混合，然后在蜂蜡表面涂覆以提高耐水性。涂层膜具有可调的疏水性（水接触角73.6-116.5°）和抗拉强度≥8 MPa（未涂层可达~ 13 MPa），具有较强的紫外线屏蔽能力（400 nm以下透光率<；1%）。在室外降雨和阳光照射下，双面涂膜在35天内完全降解。土壤安全性得到经合组织指南207的支持，用爱森ia fetida进行测试，死亡率为0%。这些结果证明了将马尾藻废物和再生聚合物转化为农业应用的功能性可生物降解地膜的低毒途径。

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