Soil biodegradation of nutrients enriched cellulose- and chitosan-derived
mulching films for sustainable horticulture

Mulch films are the major cause of plastic contamination in agricultural soils.

The need to face declining soil quality due to non-biodegradable plastic debris has pushed researches in search of novel bio-based biodegradable films for use as soil mulching (BPMFs) in agriculture.


The core idea of the MULCHING+ project is the preparation of innovative biodegradable biopolymer mulching films (BPMFs) made up of cellulose and chitosan enriched with N and P so that soluble nutrients are being released upon their biodegradation in soil, thus maintaining C-resources and soil fertility.


Moreover, beneficial microorganisms selected from soil and earthworms’ gut will be sprayed on BPMFs at the end of their lifetime to speed-up the biodegradation process.