Nursery pots from grass scraps NURSERY POTS FROM GRASS SCRAPS

Abstract

The nursery pots made from grass remnants was studied. The grass scraps, leftover from landscaping at Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University, Pathum Thani Province, were used for making biodegradable nursery pots from natural materials. These eco-friendly pots help reduce plastic use, mitigate global warming, and enhance value to waste materials. By mixing 10 g of latex glue with 300 ml of water, and then combining the purified grass scraps with the glue in the ratios of 9:1, 8:2, 7:3, and 6:4 by mass, subsequently compressing with 1-ton hydraulic press and heating the mold at 120 ^๐C for 3 min, this investigation examined the impact of various mixing ratios of grass scraps and latex glue on the forming, the water absorption and the compression strength of the produced seedling pots. The study revealed that the mixture ratio of grass scraps to latex glue at 6:4 and 7:3 was feasible however a 9:1 ratio was impractical for pot production. The water absorption value of the pots over a period of 1 hour showed that the mixture ratio of grass scraps to latex glue at a ratio of 9:1 had the highest water absorption value at 329.37%. The compression strength of the seedling pots made from grass scraps showed that the mixture ratio of 6:4 had the best compressive strength at 1.00 MPa with a compression elasticity of 4.0 mm. Moreover, the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from grass clippings in nursery pots showed a 6:4 ratio produces 3.271 kgCO_2eq, which is the lowest value. In addition, if travel is restricted, greenhouse gas emissions will amount to 0.502 kgCO_2eq.