The Vietnamese Institute of Industrial Chemistry has developed Vietnam ’s first ever biodegradable polymer products.

Researchers from the institute used laminated biodegradable polymer sheets to cover millions of square metres of groundnuts, maize, orange and cotton trees at farms in the northern provinces of Hoa Binh and Thai Nguyen and the central province of Ninh Thuan . They are also used as wrappings for seedlings’ roots and packaging materials.

The products help the plants to grow by preserving the soil’s moisture, killing wild grass and preventing soil erosion. In addition, they can replace existing common thermoplastic products as they can disintegrate after use without causing pollution.

The Head of the institute, Associate Professor Mai Ngoc Chuc, said that cassava starch, part of the biodegradable polymer material, will help to reduce production prices for these products.

Source: VNA