Application of environmental materials in agricultural production and environmental treatment

Environmental materials include the essentials for human beings with the least environmental load and highest use function. In recent years, a great deal of focus has been directed on environmental material application in agricultural production and environmental treatment. In agricultural production, environmental materials have been major actors for improving soil mi-cro-environment and enhancing crops growth. It has also included development of environment-friendly chemical fertilizers, pesti-cides and cover films. In agro-environmental administration, the materials have been used in agro-ecological degradation and envi-ronmental pollution control. This paper introduced the connotation of environmental materials and analyzed research and application in agricultural production and the environmental treatment. These functions mainly included three aspects: agricultural drought resis-tance and water-saving, soil heavy metal pollution prevention and saline-alkali soil amendment. The application of environmental materials in agricultural drought resistance and water-saving was mainly in super absorbent polymer (SAP) of soil processes and leaf resistance transpirants. The four action principles of SAP included water absorption, retention and release; improving soil and water conservation; raising use efficiency of fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals; and raising plant water-use efficiency by adjusting physiological functions on water balance. Synthetic technology of SAP had greatly advanced, while SAP application technology should be strengthened. Although leaf resistance transpirant technology had also advanced, research was still at trial stage and even only humic acid products had been used. Research and application of environmental materials in restoration of heavy metal polluted soil was relatively more extensive. Considerable progress had been made on bio-restoration and chemical solidification technologies. Potential risks of environmental material applications in heavy metal polluted soil restorations were little studied. Application of en-vironmental materials in saline-alkali soil improvements was mainly on calcium-containing materials (e.g., gypsum) and acid-containing materials (e.g., humic acid). Such improvement effects of these materials were much better when the materials were combined with polyacrylamide (PAM). In addition, this paper also pointed out three important research disciplines of environmental materials: enhancement of new forms of environmental materials, strengthening of applying fundamental and effect evaluation stud-ies, and reinforcement of comprehensive research on environmental materials, bio-technology and agro-engineering technology.