Agricultural biodegradable material. Part 2. Assessment of the destruction of products based on leaf litter during plant cultivation

This paper focuses on the development of materials for agricultural applications using leaf litter, formed through compression hot molding without the addition of synthetic or mineral binders. The paper is divided into two parts. In the second part of the study, a simulation of the cultivation of plants in a disposable container for seedlings based on biodegradable materials obtained using procedure of plastics without binders from plant raw materials in the form of leaf litter was performed. The simulation was performed in 2 stages. Stage 1 – simulation of growing seedlings of cultivated plants without planting in the soil for a duration of 60 days in order to assess the operational resistance of the product. Stage 2 – simulation of growing seedlings with planting in the soil for a duration of 75 days in order to assess the destruction of the product. It was found that during the growing season of plants without planting in the soil, the design of the proposed product retains its shape and retains moisture, thereby does not limit the development of planting material. During the planting period in the open soil, the penetration of the root system of plants into the soil substrate through the material is observed. In this case, the complete destruction of the product occurs. It is noted that the destruction process and the destruction products themselves do not lead to a change in the chemical composition and deterioration of sanitary and hygienic standards of the soil environment.