In the present work, mechanical response, water uptake, and dielectric properties of jute fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites are studied. Uniaxial tensile and Izod notched tests are conducted for a range of fiber volume fraction. It was found that the tensile Young’s modulus and tensile strength monotonically increased with increasing the fiber volume fraction, whereas the impact resistance increased up to a critical value of the fiber volume fraction and then declined. Furthermore, different predictive models are successfully applied to describe the dependence of tensile properties on fiber content. Fracture surface observation by SEM of samples broken in static and impact tests showed matrix yielding and brittle matrix behavior, respectively. Fiber pullout and poor fiber– matrix adhesion were also observed in the fracture surfaces. A change in the dependence of the water uptake and dielectric properties with fiber loading at a critical fiber content was also found.

Since the 1940s, the introduction of plastic technology caused a true revolution in agriculture. Among the uses of plastics, mulch films have been used to improve yields and crop traits. They are useful to increase air and soil temperatures, protect plants from several agents, improve water management, reduce the growth of weeds, and, consequently, to avoid high dependence on agrochemicals. The low-density polyethylene obtained from non-renewable resources has been mainly used for this purpose due to its mechanical and barrier properties, resistance to all forms of degradation, easy processing and low cost. Unfortunately, low-density polyethylene presents several economic and environmental drawbacks related to their low biodegradability, their removal after the crop cycle and their final disposal. Hence, there is a great interest in using biodegradable mulch films to provide greater agricultural sustainability. In this review, we interpret evidence about the potential of polysaccharide-based bio-composite mulch films as a possible replacement of traditional low-density polyethylene films as well as their commercial barriers and evolution of intellectual property rights. We identified that: (1) mulch films improve their mechanical properties through the formulation of multiphase materials, reaching international standards; (2) biodegradability of bio-composite mulch films can be adjusted according to crop season; (3) bio-composite mulch films provide high yields for different crops; and (4) they are promising for the management of pests and weeds. Due to these traits, biodegradable mulch films have reported a significant increase in the number of patent protections lately. However, to the present day the lack of knowledge about bio-composite mulch films and their high costs are the main commercial limitations to their adoption for crop production systems in the field. KeywordsAgriculture . Biodegradable mulch films . Polysaccharides . Composites . Intellectual property Abbreviations AL Alkaline kraft lignin BDM Biodegradable mulch film Bent Bentonine clay Bent-CS Chitosan-modified bentonine CRU Controlled-release urea ε Elongation at break (%) EU European Union EPS Exopolysaccharides IP Intellectual property * Matías Menossi