A 20-week laboratory experiment measured chemical and physical changes in conventional and biodegradable mulch films. Data includes results from four artificial degradation methods—heat treatment and ultraviolet irradiation at two intensities—compared against field-aged samples weathered for six months. The dataset was generated by the Environmental Information Data Centre and published via the UK Data Service.
Use Cases
- Compare the efficiency of artificial degradation methods based on carbonyl index and physical property measurements.
- Evaluate the similarity of laboratory-aged plastics to natural field-aged samples based on the described comparative framework.
- Analyze degradation rates of different polymer types under controlled heat and UV treatments.
- Benchmark analytical techniques like ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, DSC, and TGA for characterizing plastic degradation.
Strengths
- Includes a structured comparison of four distinct artificial degradation methods and natural field aging.
- Data was collected using multiple laboratory analytical techniques: ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, DSC, and TGA.
- Provides a direct comparison between a 20-week lab experiment and a 6-month field exposure period.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- Environmental Information Data Centre
- Collection Method
- Generated from a controlled 20-week laboratory experiment comparing artificial degradation methods against field-weathered reference materials.
- Time Range
- Laboratory experiment spanned approximately five months; field reference samples were exposed for six months.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-07-02 19:17:08.949205; freshness should be verified.