Biodegradable hybrid polymer films based on poly(vinyl alcohol) and collagen hydrolyzate

Hybrid blends of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and collagen hydrolyzate (CH), an added value waste from leather indutry, have been converted by blown molding extrusion, to environmentally degradable films. Blown extruded films comprising 5-15% of CH, were tested as sel fertilizing mulching films and analyzed for their propensity to enviromental degradation. PVA/CH films rapidly disintegrate when buried in soil, and resulted promising for application such as transplanting films, with additional fertilizing action of CH.