The special research and development project on high-performance PBAT resins and corresponding fully biodegradable plastic film products in Xinjiang Tianye has been approved

Thread Content

The 25th National \"Safety Production Month\" in 2026: Everyone should talk about safety and be able to handle emergencies; identify and address potential risks and hazards. -------------------------------------------------- Recently, it was learned from the Science and Technology Bureau of the Eighth Division that both the science and technology research projects for key areas in the division and city, as well as the programs aimed at nurturing young and middle-aged innovators in those areas, proposed by Xinjiang Tianye (Group) Co., Ltd., have been approved for implementation. The two major projects focus respectively on overcoming challenges in key industrial technologies and cultivating young innovation talents, thereby creating a dual-driven approach that combines technological breakthroughs with talent development. This helps to address the shortcomings in the group’s innovation efforts in all aspects, and it provides strong impetus for the advancement of the company’s core technologies, the building of a high-quality pool of skilled professionals, as well as the sustainable development of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps’ new material industry and modern agriculture. Among the two projects approved this time is a scientific and technological research project focused on key areas within the prefecture, which addresses the urgent needs related to the green development of regional agriculture. It targets the challenges faced in agricultural development in the arid regions of the northwest, and concentrates on the issue of \"white pollution\" in farmland. Special research is being carried out on high-performance PBAT resins as well as fully biodegradable plastic film products, in order to effectively solve the common problems encountered in the field of plastic film pollution control in Xinjiang. As the province with the highest usage of plastic mulch in China, Xinjiang relies on mulched planting as a key agricultural practice to ensure stable yields and increased income for major crops such as cotton, corn, and sugar beets. However, the long-term and widespread use of non-degradable PE plastic mulch has led to an increasingly serious problem of residual mulch pollution in arable land. Currently, the amount of residual plastic film in regional farmland remains high, leading to soil compaction, difficulties for roots to penetrate the soil, and a continuous decline in the quality of arable land, posing a serious threat to the sustainable development of oasis agriculture. The existing biodegradable plastic film products on the market are not suitable for the special field conditions in Xinjiang, characterized by strong sunlight, strong winds and drought, as well as severe salinization. They suffer from various shortcomings such as poor weather resistance, a moisture-retaining period that does not match the crop growth cycle, easy damage in the fields, and an uncontrollable degradation period. Moreover, there is a lack of systematic monitoring of the ecological impacts throughout the life cycle of these biodegradable films, resulting in an unclear understanding of the ecological safety risks. These issues constitute the main obstacles to addressing the problem of residual plastic films at their source and to the widespread use of biodegradable plastic films. To address the aforementioned industry challenges and technical bottlenecks, this Tianye project focused on degradable plastic film development will cover the entire research and development process, including raw material modification, product development, field application testing, and ecological evaluation, with an emphasis on advancing three key core technologies. First, optimize the polymerization process and modification formulas for PBAT resin, and develop specialized PBAT-based materials with high toughness, UV resistance, and tolerance to extreme temperatures suitable for the harsh climate in the northwest region, thereby improving the overall mechanical properties of biodegradable plastic films at the raw material level. Second, continuously improve the film extrusion processing techniques, and create specialized biodegradable plastic films designed for mechanized application and tailored to meet the growth needs of different crops, so as to ensure that the period during which the plastic films retain moisture and suppress weeds matches precisely with the crop growth cycle, allowing the fields to be properly protected during growth and enabling natural degradation after harvest. Third, establish a long-term field ecological monitoring system to systematically assess the impact of degradation products on saline-alkali soils, groundwater, and crops, addressing the shortcomings in the ecological safety assessment of biodegradable plastic films in arid regions and filling any gaps in regional industry standards. Leveraging its unique advantages in the entire industrial chain ranging from coal to BDO-PBAT resin to degraded products, as well as its enterprise-level laboratory for industry-university-research collaboration and innovation, as well as years of data collected from field demonstrations, Xinjiang Tianye has a solid foundation for the industrial implementation of this project. Previously, the biodegradable plastic films developed by enterprises were used for large-scale demonstration planting in various farms within the Production Corps. Actual test data show that qualified PBAT biodegradable plastic films offer better insulation and moisture retention capabilities compared to traditional plastic films, which can help increase crop yields. Moreover, there is no need for manual removal of the remaining plastic film, thereby significantly reducing the costs associated with its collection from farmland. Following the approval of this project, the product formula will be further optimized and production costs reduced, in order to address the challenges associated with the deployment and promotion of the current products. Upon full completion of the project, it will be possible to address the issue of plastic film residue in farmland at the source of production, and a green management approach for dealing with such residue suitable for the arid and saline-alkali soils in the northwest region can be established. This not only provides mature technical support and practical models for the green transformation and upgrading of agriculture in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, but also serves as a model for similar arid agricultural areas in northern Xinjiang and the Hexi Corridor. It holds significant value as a model for farmland protection, the green and low-carbon development of agriculture, and the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas in China’s northwest region.