# Degradation of Low-Density Polyethylene Greenhouse Film Aged in Contact with Agrochemicals
#### Greenhouse Plastic Film Aging
Nonetheless, a variety of strategies may be implemented to protect polymers from the damaging effects of UV radiation, e.g., the addition of UV absorbers, which may enhance the resistance of polymeric materials to aging. Some other studies [28] analyzed the key theories explaining the impact of UV radiation on polymer decomposition and the testing procedures for assessing the aging properties of polymeric materials while elucidating the current and suitable methods for enhancing the UV resistance of polymers by means of additives and UV absorbers, able to prolong their lifetime. The simultaneous impact and interactions between aging and pesticides on plastic greenhouse film have been so far the subject of a few scientific studies. However, rather than focusing on the implications for the material's end-of-life phase, these studies primarily addressed the fluctuations that occur in its technical qualities. Through laboratory analysis and open-field trials, all of these studies have indeed explicitly looked at how aging affects the mechanical strength and radiometric properties of plastic film used for greenhouse covering, rather than their post-consumer recycling properties. [PERSON] [29] examined the combined effects of accelerated aging on PE-LD greenhouse film, by using UV light and an aggressive herbicide (Vapam). The basic characteristics of aging were examined over a short period of time using an unstabilized film. Changes in a few of the film's mechanical properties before and after aging were used to gauge the procedure. A revised artificial aging process that was intended to more accurately resemble the weathering of PE-LD greenhouse film was eventually launched. [PERSON] et al. [30] also looked at a number of experimental multilayer films that were subjected to accelerated aging in conjunction with agrochemicals. They observed that agrochemicals speed up the negative effects of UV-A radiation on PolyAmide (PA) and Ethylene-Vinyl alcOHol (EVOH) layers, leading to the early breakdown of the barrier layers, thus further jeopardizing the mechanical strength and durability of the overall film. This study concluded that the stabilized multilayerfilms exhibit longer lifetime depending on the level of stabilization (1% or 2%), but PA and EVOH are not recommended as barrier layers in agricultural films since, when UV-A radiation and agrochemicals combine, they negatively affect both mechanical properties and photo-degradation behavior. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [31] conducted some experimental studies to assess the effects of solar radiation and pesticide contamination on the physical characteristics of PE-LD films. Both the new films and samples obtained at the conclusion of several experiments were subjected to radiometric testing. To examine the relative efficacy of the stabilizing systems, a laboratory examination of the absorption of some pollutants was performed on the samples collected at the conclusion of the field exposure. These authors concluded that, during the six months of experimental field testing, the radiometric properties of the films in the solar and Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) wavelength ranges were not significantly changed by the combined impacts of agrochemicals and natural weathering. Rather, differences of as much as 70% of the initial measure in the Long-Wavelength InfraRed (LWIR) range were noted for the stabilized films. Further analyses that aimed to explain the aging mechanism and the effect of UV combined with agrochemicals have been more recently conducted by some authors [32], who investigated the most suitable strategies based on nano-micromaterials, able to provide thermal radiation insulation, preserving heat and energy in greenhouses, without worsening visible light transmittance. These authors reviewed also the radial and thermal properties of greenhouse covering materials; thus, they focused on fillers, colorants, reinforcing agents, and additives, as both compounds based on graphene and fullerene and phase-transition materials (PCMs).