Impact of Activator Content on the Process of Photodegradation of PP Non-Wovens

Abstract

The paper presents the test results of non-wovens modified by an activator in different concentrations, produced by the spun bonding method. The aim of the research was to assess the photodegradation process of modified PP non-wovens in dependence on the selected concentration of the modifying agent in the fibre mass and the possibility of introducing a new range of PP non-wovens in agriculture. Non-wovens having a mass per unit area of 100 g/m2 were exposed to sunlight during its highest intensity for a period of four months, and UV irradiance was tested in a xenon lamp with radiation doses corresponding to exposure to sunlight. The samples were exposed to the same energy value of visible and UV radiation in a given series of exposure. For the variants of non-wovens tested, the tensile strength and mass per unit area were tested and the surface topography of the non-wovens analysed. Microscopic analysis of fibre damage in the modified non-wovens was carried out after different degrees of exposure to light. It was observed that PP non-woven samples exposed outdoors degraded more intensively than those tested in the Xenotest.