- PE Plastic Films
- A.Agricultural Film Recycling
- B.Recycling Methods of Waste Agricultural Film
- C.Recycling Technologies for Waste Agricultural Film
- D.Applications of Waste Agricultural Film in Agricultural Environmental Protection
- E.The Importance of Recycling Waste Agricultural Film
- F.Double Roller Shredder for Agricultural Film Shredding and Recycling
PE Plastic Films
Agricultural Plastic Film Recycling
Plastic film, as a major category of plastic products, encompasses numerous types and typically has a short lifespan, making it an important target for plastic recycling.
Agricultural plastic film is an important agricultural material in agricultural production, serving functions such as heat preservation and water retention. However, if it is not promptly recycled and disposed of after use, it can cause “white pollution” in farmland, affecting soil quality and crop growth, and even harming the water environment and human health. Therefore, promoting the recycling of waste agricultural film is of great significance for controlling “white pollution” and protecting the farmland ecological environment.
A.Agricultural Film Recycling
PE Agricultural Film
With the increasing popularity of mulching technology, the problem of discarded plastic film in fields is becoming more prominent. Agricultural experts remind farmers that after mulching crops, scattered waste plastic film in the fields should be cleaned up promptly. This is because plastic film is made of polyethylene, which is difficult to decompose in the natural environment. If left in the soil for a long time, it will seriously hinder the growth of crop roots.
Agricultural film, as a type of plastic product, is widely used in agriculture. It mainly includes mulch film and greenhouse film. Mulch film is mostly made of PE film, while greenhouse film comes in various types such as PE, PE/EVA, and PVC film. During recycling, PE and PVC films need to be treated separately. Because agricultural film may become contaminated with impurities during use, it must be cleaned during recycling to remove these impurities.
The main method for recycling agricultural film is granulation. After cleaning and drying, the waste film can be directly produced into various plastic products, such as basins, buckets, and plastic flanges, through a hot extrusion process. In addition, recycled agricultural film can be made into recycled granules, further expanding its application scope.
B.Recycling Methods of Waste Agricultural Film
How to Recycle Agricultural Film?
The recycling of waste agricultural film generally employs two methods: mechanized centralized collection and manual collection. Mechanized centralized collection utilizes specially designed agricultural film collection machines or modified agricultural machinery to automatically or semi-automatically collect waste agricultural film from the fields, then transport it to recycling stations or processing plants. This method has advantages such as high efficiency, labor saving, and reduced labor intensity, but it requires higher equipment investment and maintenance costs, making it suitable for areas with flat terrain, large arable land areas, and high film usage. Manual collection involves farmers or professional recyclers using manual labor or simple tools to pick up and pack the waste agricultural film from the fields. Although manual collection is simple, cleaning the waste agricultural film is very difficult, as it is mixed with a large amount of soil and vegetable seedlings, and the cost is high, resulting in lower recycling value. It is only suitable for areas with complex terrain, small arable land areas, and low film usage.
Regardless of the method used, the following points should be noted: First, waste agricultural film should be collected in time before its expiration date to avoid reduced toughness and increased breakage due to weathering and aging, which would affect the recycling effect and quality; Second, waste agricultural film should be properly stored and transported to avoid scattering and loss, which would cause white pollution; Third, waste agricultural film should be handed over to qualified recycling stations or processing plants for harmless treatment or resource utilization, and should not be discarded, buried or burned at will.
C.Recycling Technologies for Waste Agricultural Film
Recycling agricultural film
After collection and recycling, waste agricultural film is mainly processed through methods such as recycling into raw materials, using a mixture of straw and agricultural film as fuel, and disposal through rural waste treatment systems. Common recycling technologies for waste agricultural film include recycling, dissolution, incineration, and pyrolysis.
Currently, a widely used and relatively mature waste agricultural film recycling technology is wet granulation processing. The processing flow of wet granulation is as follows: First, impurity removal is required. The recycled waste agricultural film is sorted, and residual weeds, branches, stones, etc., are removed. Second, it is initially crushed in a specialized crusher. Next, using equipment such as water tanks, water pumps, and nozzles, the waste agricultural film fragments are rinsed and stirred multiple times to thoroughly remove impurities such as mud and weeds. Subsequently, the washed waste agricultural film needs to be dried and dehydrated. Using equipment such as centrifuges and spin dryers, the washed agricultural film sheets are rotated at high speed to remove water, improving drying efficiency and saving energy. Finally, using equipment such as extruders and pelletizers, the dried agricultural film sheets are heated, melted, extruded, and cut to produce recycled plastic granules. Because they still retain the various chemical properties of the plastic raw materials, they can be used to produce other plastic products.
D.Applications of Waste Agricultural Film in Agricultural Environmental Protection
In which areas are they applied?
A. Production of Plastic Products
Waste agricultural film, after being cleaned, crushed, washed, dried, heated and melted, extruded, cut and granulated, can be reused to produce plastic products. This is the most common way to recycle and reuse waste agricultural film. Waste agricultural film can be used as raw material to produce polyethylene pipes, plastic containers, etc.; or, using a simpler method, it can be directly crushed without washing and mixed with stones, soil, etc., to produce secondary products such as bricks and manhole covers.
B. Production of Fuel Resources
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is the main raw material for making agricultural plastic film. LDPE originates from petroleum cracking and is a petrochemical product. Therefore, energy recovery from waste agricultural film is another effective way to utilize waste and can be used to produce fuel resources. Waste agricultural film can be used to produce fuel oil, but this requires high-temperature processing conditions. This process needs to be carried out at high temperatures. Through high-temperature cracking, the carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds in the waste polyethylene molecules break, generating free radicals. These free radicals combine to form small hydrocarbon molecules, which, after condensation, become fuel.
C. Preparation of Composite Boards
my country is a traditional major agricultural producer, generating a large amount of waste during agricultural production. Besides waste agricultural film, there is also large-scale plant waste such as straw, wheat straw, and cotton stalks. In many areas, these wastes are disposed of through large-scale incineration, seriously harming the ecological environment and human health. Based on this, domestic researchers have already utilized waste agricultural film combined with straw, wheat straw, and other waste materials to produce wood-plastic composite boards and profiles, which have been widely applied.
D. Making Artwork and Household Items
Besides environmentally friendly treatment, waste agricultural film can also be used to create artwork and household items. The types of artwork made from waste agricultural film are diverse, including handicrafts, sculptures, and decorations. The production methods are also flexible; some creative workshops transform agricultural film into various creative artworks and household items through cutting, sewing, and splicing techniques. In terms of production processes, making the agricultural film more robust, durable, and aesthetically pleasing is a key challenge. Through continuous exploration and practice, some manufacturers have developed various methods to increase the toughness of their products, while also using diverse materials and colors to make the products more personalized and diversified.
E.The Importance of Recycling Waste Agricultural Film
Why Recycle?
The importance of recycling waste agricultural film cannot be ignored. If this waste is not disposed of promptly, it will not only pollute the soil but also affect crop growth and may even pose a potential threat to human health through the food chain. Recycling waste agricultural film is of great significance for protecting the agricultural ecological environment and human health. Therefore, recycling waste agricultural film is both a protection of the agricultural ecological environment and a responsibility to human health.
F.Double Roller Shredder for Agricultural Film Shredding and Recycling
Twin Dual Double Shaft Shredder Machine
The double roller shredder is suitable for shredding films, woven bags, waste fabrics, bulk bags, paper, and other materials of medium hardness and softness. It features a double-blade roller structure and boasts medium speed, high efficiency, and low noise.
Driven by two motors, it utilizes the principle of two opposing rotating blades shearing and tearing to shred materials. The blade rollers can be designed according to different material shredding requirements – a top-of-the-line unit for shredding and recycling agricultural film.
