Innovative material and improved technical design for a sustainable exploitation of agricultural plastic film.

The use of plastic material in agriculture has been growing during the last decades thanks to the benefits that it provides in agricultural production. Mainly in protected cultivation plastics play an important role, by performing a passive effect – by protecting the crops from negative weather conditions – and, at the same time, an active effect – by realizing a more favorable environment for the cultivation. On the other hand, the durability of plastic films is strictly related to the modes of use, and in particular to the meteorological and environmental conditions, as well as to the consequences of stresses they are subjected to upon mounting and during their operational life. The possibilities for an improvement in the technical design of the agricultural plastic film, in terms of mechanical strength, radiometric properties and better aptitude of the material for a further recycling are connected with a more close link between its chemical formulation and the engineering performance of the material. The present paper shows, on the basis of an analysis about the main technical achievements in terms of improvement of the engineering properties of agricultural plastic film, a general review about innovative material and new techniques for mechanical recycling of agricultural plastic film.