Many people know that jute bags are very popular as packaging for storing various cereals. It is a natural, breathable and at the same time cheap and wear-resistant material that does not enter into any reaction with the stored contents. But jute also has a significant disadvantage - this property can easily absorb moisture and keep it in itself for a long time, which leads to large crop losses.

The problem is long-standing and remains relevant in a large number of agricultural regions. But more recently, a team from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia proposed an ingeniously simple solution to the problem, which already showed excellent results during the first experiments.

The researchers treated the jute with alkali to roughen the surface of the material and change its properties. And then a very thin layer of candle wax was applied. The bags obtained from this material were tested at 55-98% relative humidity and simulated rain. Experiments on storing grain in processed jute bags lasted 2 months and showed that the moisture content of the seeds dropped to 7.5% compared to grain stored in conventional jute bags. Moreover, as a result of less susceptibility to fungi and various pests on the grain, its germination efficiency increased by 35%.

The waxed bags themselves can be reused for the same purposes. And if unsuitable for further use, they can be processed into organic mulch and used in agriculture.

The results obtained from the experiments are encouraging for researchers, but they still have further tests of the effectiveness of the new material, its durability and improvement of methods for applying wax to jute for the possibility of reaching production scales.

Materials from the sites packaginginsights.com, discovery.kaust.edu.sa were used.