Applications and Market Development Prospects of Agricultural Non-Woven Fabrics

Non-woven fabrics have been widely used in the agricultural sector. Owing to their excellent light-shielding, breathability, and biodegradability, they are increasingly favored by farmers as an auxiliary product for crop growth. However, given the wider range of options available in the agricultural product market and the intense market competition, the agricultural non-woven fabric market holds significant development prospects. Let us explore this further. The introduction of non-woven fabric technology in China is relatively recent, and non-woven fabrics will be extensively applied in the development of off-season vegetable cultivation.

Non-woven fabrics have been widely used in developed countries such as Japan, the United States, the Netherlands, and Canada, where the goal is to achieve convenient management and mechanized or semi-mechanized operations.

Studies have shown that greenhouses covered with non-woven fabrics have a significantly better heat insulation effect than those covered with curtains, and non-woven fabrics are also heavier than curtains. Greenhouses and hothouses now adopt multi-layer covering with agricultural films. Such non-woven fabric-covered greenhouses are also suitable for shade seedling raising and cultivation in summer and autumn. Thick non-woven fabrics (100-200 g/m²) can replace straw curtains and straw mats.

Generally, non-woven fabrics are used as thermal insulation curtains for large greenhouses. They can also replace straw curtains for covering small greenhouses to enhance the heat preservation effect. The 40-50 g/m² non-woven fabrics used in large greenhouses have low permeability, high shading rate, and relatively high weight. They can also be used as thermal insulation curtains for small arch greenhouses, hothouses, and open-field ground greenhouses. They play a role in heat preservation at night, which can increase the temperature by 0.7-3.0°C. Generally, thin non-woven fabrics of 20-30 g/m² have high air permeability and ventilation, and low weight, and can be used for floating covering in open-field ground, hothouses, and large greenhouses. Non-woven fabrics of different thicknesses vary in water permeability, shading rate, and air permeability, leading to differences in their covering methods and applications.

Examples include non-woven fabrics of 20 g/m², 30 g/m², 40 g/m², etc. Non-woven fabrics are classified into thin, thick, and thickened types, usually measured in grams per square meter (g/m²). Agricultural non-woven fabric is a new type of covering material with good air permeability, moisture absorption, and light transmittance.

Agricultural non-woven fabrics include crop protection fabrics, seedling fabrics, irrigation fabrics, thermal insulation curtains, etc. Their maximum service life is only 90 days. When placed indoors for decomposition, they can last for 8 years. When burned, they are non-toxic, odorless, and leave no residual substances, thus causing no environmental pollution and being environmentally friendly. They possess characteristics such as water repellency, breathability, softness, non-combustibility, non-toxicity, non-irritation, and a variety of colors.

When placed outdoors, this material decomposes naturally. It is a new generation of environmentally friendly material, featuring sturdiness, breathability, water resistance, environmental protection, flexibility, non-toxicity, odorlessness, and low cost. Although it is called "non-woven fabric", it is a kind of fabric. It is manufactured by wet or dry paper machines (using chemical fibers and plant fibers) with water or air as the suspension medium.