廃棄コンニャク·グルコマンナンを活用した生分解性種苗育成用ポットの開発

摘要

In recent years, global warming, the depletion of petroleum resources, and the reduction of carbon dioxide emission have become significant worldwide. Environmental considerations have been indispensable to the development and manufacturing industries. Considering this background, we aim to develop new and environment-friendly agricultural materials using Konjac by-products of industrial waste. Konjac by-products are a natural raw material sourced from the plants of the Amorphophalus family and are nutritious. Availing these advantages, we investigated the development of a novel biodegradable seedling pot manufactured from Konjac by-products, “Tobiko” in Japanese. The results are as follows: (1) The Tobiko seedling pot is able to be simply produced by molding of Tobiko gel which is composed of Tobiko powder and water; (2) The Tobiko seedling pots can maintain stable soil condition concerning sunlight and moisture, because the pot has a water absorbency of an amount almost equal to its own weight, and a light-resistance of 20 days; (3) The Tobiko seedling pot is biodegraded in only 27 days; therefore, the pots have excellent biodegradability compared with conventional biodegradable seedling pots. Therefore, in terms of time base, it is expected that Tobiko will be effectively used in manufacturing biodegradable seedling pots. And we believe to be a new and unique application for Konjac by-products.