An OB film is composed of specific components which drastically decreases the oxygen permeability of the plastic compared to the regular plastic used to cover silage (made of Polyethylene). The construction of the OB film needs to be designed for silage and able to protect itself in the harsh farm environment.
Packaging made with plastic is permeable to small molecules like gases and to other compounds and the permeability varies according to the materials used. Permeability is defined as the quantity of gas which passes through a resisting material. So, the concept of permeability is normally associated with the evaluation of the barrier properties of a plastic. In the case of plastic films for Silage, reducing the permeability to O2 must be the primary goal of anyone looking to improve Silage Quality. Permeability to O2 is measured using the Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR) and is expressed in cm3/m2/24h.
Compared to regular plastics made of Polyethylene (PE), SilageSeal OB reduces the OTR of a good conventional silage cover up to 20x.
|
Thickness, µm |
Oxygen Transmission Rate, cm3/m2/24h |
|
|
Conventional Cover |
150 |
~400 |
|
SilageSeal OB |
45 |
< 25 |
|
SilageSeal OB + SilageSeal PE 80 |
125 (80 + 45) |
< 25 |