Biodegradable Hydrogels: Evaluation of Degradation as a Function of Synthesis Parameters and Environmental Conditions
| Autor: | Michele Maggini, Giacomo Guerrini, Chiara Turioni, Francesco Morari, Andrea Squartini, Silvia Gross |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Physical geography
Soil Science Context (language use) macromolecular substances humic acid complex mixtures chemistry.chemical_compound swelling medicine Humic acid crosslink Cellulose QD1-999 Earth-Surface Processes chemistry.chemical_classification Moisture technology industry and agriculture clay cellulose GB3-5030 Infiltration (hydrology) Chemistry chemistry Chemical engineering Self-healing hydrogels Soil fertility Swelling medicine.symptom conservative agriculture |
| Zdroj: | Soil Systems, Vol 5, Iss 47, p 47 (2021) Soil Systems Volume 5 Issue 3 |
| ISSN: | 2571-8789 |
| Popis: | The development of functional materials that promote the infiltration and retention of water and the controlled release of fertilizers and nutrients in soil is of interest in agriculture. In this context, hydrogels, three-dimensional polymeric structures able to absorb high amounts of water in their swelling process, play an important role. The swelling ability of hydrogels depends on their crosslinking: the higher the crosslinking degree, the higher the number of interactions in the structure, the lower the swelling response. In this work, we describe biodegradable hydrogels composed of natural feedstocks: cellulose, clay minerals, and humic acids, designed to (i) protect, hydrate, and help germinating seedlings to root even in unfavorable conditions (ii) sustainably contribute to soil fertility in terms of moisture and nutrients and (iii) act as a nutritive and protective coating for the seeds. Upon assessing the correlations between curing process and swelling degree (SW), we evaluated the degradation of new biodegradable hydrogels as a function of the synthesis parameters (swelling degree and composition) and environmental conditions (type of soil and water amount for the hydration of the hydrogels). The term curing is hereafter referred to the operation of baking the ingredients at given combinations of time and temperature to obtain a dry hydrogel. The results show that the environmental parameters considered, i.e., amount of hydration water and physical and chemical properties of the soil, play a more decisive role in determining the stability of these hydrogels in soil than their synthesis parameters, such as the composition and the swelling degree. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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