The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) awarded a $1,000,000 Project Grant under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) federal grant program to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop fully biobased and soil-biodegradable mulch films as an alternative to conventional plastic mulches. The University will fabricate mulch films from woody biomass using a dissolution and regeneration process with an inorganic salt solution. Characterization tests will evaluate the films' structure-performance relationship, properties, mechanical strength, and soil-biodegradability for mulch applications. The University of Maryland will perform multiscale modeling and testing of the film properties, and Washington State University will lead extension and outreach activities to disseminate project findings to stakeholders. The grant period is January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025.
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