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ABSTRACT Kraft paper was impregnated with vegetable oil-based resins and then tested for wet strength, rate of biodegradation in soil and the ability to inhibit weed growth. Resins included oxidatively polymerized soybean and linseed oils and a polyester formed by the reaction of epoxidized soybean oil and citric acid. Wet strengths were significantly higher for resin coated papers (4–10 MPa) than uncoated paper (0.5 MPa). Rates of weight loss during soil burial for resin coated papers (40–90% oil added) were about 1/2 to 1/5 of those for uncoated papers or paper coated with unpolymerized oils. When tested as mulches on the top of soil, resin coated papers maintained their integrity for 8–12 weeks while uncoated paper largely disintegrated by 8 weeks. Coating with unpolymerized oils also inhibited disintegration and weed growth although not as much as coating with polymerized oils.
Randal L. Shogren (Tue,) studied this question.