1
|
Mikhailidi A, Ungureanu E, Tofanica BM, Ungureanu OC, Fortună ME, Belosinschi D, Volf I. Agriculture 4.0: Polymer Hydrogels as Delivery Agents of Active Ingredients. Gels 2024; 10:368. [PMID: 38920915 PMCID: PMC11203096 DOI: 10.3390/gels10060368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The evolution from conventional to modern agricultural practices, characterized by Agriculture 4.0 principles such as the application of innovative materials, smart water, and nutrition management, addresses the present-day challenges of food supply. In this context, polymer hydrogels have become a promising material for enhancing agricultural productivity due to their ability to retain and then release water, which can help alleviate the need for frequent irrigation in dryland environments. Furthermore, the controlled release of fertilizers by the hydrogels decreases chemical overdosing risks and the environmental impact associated with the use of agrochemicals. The potential of polymer hydrogels in sustainable agriculture and farming and their impact on soil quality is revealed by their ability to deliver nutritional and protective active ingredients. Thus, the impact of hydrogels on plant growth, development, and yield was discussed. The question of which hydrogels are more suitable for agriculture-natural or synthetic-is debatable, as both have their merits and drawbacks. An analysis of polymer hydrogel life cycles in terms of their initial material has shown the advantage of bio-based hydrogels, such as cellulose, lignin, starch, alginate, chitosan, and their derivatives and hybrids, aligning with sustainable practices and reducing dependence on non-renewable resources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Mikhailidi
- Higher School of Printing and Media Technologies, St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design, 18 Bolshaya Morskaya Street, 191186 St. Petersburg, Russia;
| | - Elena Ungureanu
- “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences Iasi, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700490 Iasi, Romania
| | - Bogdan-Marian Tofanica
- “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, 73 Prof. Dr. Docent D. Mangeron Boulevard, 700050 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Ovidiu C. Ungureanu
- Faculty of Medicine, “Vasile Goldis” Western University of Arad, 94 the Boulevard of the Revolution, 310025 Arad, Romania;
| | - Maria E. Fortună
- “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, 41A Grigore Ghica Voda Alley, 700487 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Dan Belosinschi
- Innovations Institute in Ecomaterials, Ecoproducts, and Ecoenergies, University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, 3351, Boul. des Forges, Trois-Rivières QC G8Z 4M3, Canada;
| | - Irina Volf
- “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, 73 Prof. Dr. Docent D. Mangeron Boulevard, 700050 Iasi, Romania;
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Jiao Y, Su T, Chen Y, Long M, Luo X, Xie X, Qin Z. Enhanced Water Absorbency and Water Retention Rate for Superabsorbent Polymer via Porous Calcium Carbonate Crosslinking. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:2575. [PMID: 37764604 PMCID: PMC10536887 DOI: 10.3390/nano13182575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
To improve the water absorbency and water-retention rate of superabsorbent materials, a porous calcium carbonate composite superabsorbent polymer (PCC/PAA) was prepared by copolymerization of acrylic acid and porous calcium carbonate prepared from ground calcium carbonate. The results showed that the binding energies of C-O and C=O in the O 1s profile of PCC/PAA had 0.2 eV and 0.1-0.7 eV redshifts, respectively, and the bonding of -COO- groups on the surface of the porous calcium carbonate led to an increase in the binding energy of O 1s. Furthermore, the porous calcium carbonate chelates with the -COO- group in acrylic acid through the surface Ca2+ site to form multidirectional crosslinking points, which would increase the flexibility of the crosslinking network and promote the formation of pores inside the PCC/PAA to improve the water storage space. The water absorbency of PCC/PAA with 2 wt% porous calcium carbonate in deionized water and 0.9 wt% NaCl water solution increased from 540 g/g and 60 g/g to 935 g/g and 80 g/g, respectively. In addition, since the chemical crosslinker N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide is used in the polymerization process of PCC/PAA, N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide and porous calcium carbonate enhance the stability of the PCC/PAA crosslinking network by double-crosslinking with a polyacrylic acid chain, resulting in the crosslinking network of PCC/PAA not being destroyed after water absorption saturation. Therefore, PCC/PAA with 2 wt% porous calcium carbonate improved the water-retention rate by 244% after 5 h at 60 °C, and the compressive strength was approximately five-times that of the superabsorbent without porous calcium carbonate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Jiao
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; (Y.J.); (T.S.); (X.L.); (X.X.)
| | - Tongming Su
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; (Y.J.); (T.S.); (X.L.); (X.X.)
| | - Yongmei Chen
- Guilin Zhuorui Food Ingredients Co., Ltd., Guilin 541001, China; (Y.C.); (M.L.)
| | - Minggui Long
- Guilin Zhuorui Food Ingredients Co., Ltd., Guilin 541001, China; (Y.C.); (M.L.)
| | - Xuan Luo
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; (Y.J.); (T.S.); (X.L.); (X.X.)
| | - Xinling Xie
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; (Y.J.); (T.S.); (X.L.); (X.X.)
| | - Zuzeng Qin
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; (Y.J.); (T.S.); (X.L.); (X.X.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Matmin J, Ibrahim SI, Mohd Hatta MH, Ricky Marzuki R, Jumbri K, Nik Malek NAN. Starch-Derived Superabsorbent Polymer in Remediation of Solid Waste Sludge Based on Water–Polymer Interaction. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15061471. [PMID: 36987251 PMCID: PMC10051928 DOI: 10.3390/polym15061471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to assess water–polymer interaction in synthesized starch-derived superabsorbent polymer (S-SAP) for the treatment of solid waste sludge. While S-SAP for solid waste sludge treatment is still rare, it offers a lower cost for the safe disposal of sludge into the environment and recycling of treated solid as crop fertilizer. For that to be possible, the water–polymer interaction on S-SAP must first be fully comprehended. In this study, the S-SAP was prepared through graft polymerization of poly (methacrylic acid-co-sodium methacrylate) on the starch backbone. By analyzing the amylose unit, it was possible to avoid the complexity of polymer networks when considering S-SAP using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and density functional theory (DFT). Through the simulations, formation of hydrogen bonding between starch and water on the H06 of amylose was assessed for its flexibility and less steric hindrance. Meanwhile, water penetration into S-SAP was recorded by the specific radial distribution function (RDF) of atom–molecule interaction in the amylose. The experimental evaluation of S-SAP correlated with high water capacity by measuring up to 500% of distilled water within 80 min and more than 195% of the water from solid waste sludge for 7 days. In addition, the S-SAP swelling showed a notable performance of a 77 g/g swelling ratio within 160 min, while a water retention test showed that S-SAP was capable of retaining more than 50% of the absorbed water within 5 h of heating at 60 °C. The water retention of S-SAP adheres to pseudo-second-order kinetics for chemisorption reactions. Therefore, the prepared S-SAP might have potential applications as a natural superabsorbent, especially for the development of sludge water removal technology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Matmin
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia UTM, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
- Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia UTM, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +60-7-5535581
| | - Salizatul Ilyana Ibrahim
- Centre of Foundation Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Dengkil, Dengkil 43800, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Hayrie Mohd Hatta
- Centre for Research and Development, Asia Metropolitan University, Johor Bahru 81750, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Raidah Ricky Marzuki
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia UTM, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Khairulazhar Jumbri
- Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Nik Ahmad Nizam Nik Malek
- Centre for Sustainable Nanomaterials, Ibnu Sina Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia UTM, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia UTM, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dicle Ertek A, Ozlem Sanli N, Ziya Menceloglu Y, Avaz Seven S. Environmentally Friendly, Antibacterial Materials from Recycled Keratin Incorporated Electrospun PLA Films with Tunable Properties. Eur Polym J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2022.111804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
|
5
|
Krasnopeeva EL, Panova GG, Yakimansky AV. Agricultural Applications of Superabsorbent Polymer Hydrogels. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315134. [PMID: 36499461 PMCID: PMC9738811 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
This review presents data from the past five years on the use of polymeric superabsorbent hydrogels in agriculture as water and nutrient storage and retention materials, as well as additives that improve soil properties. The use of synthetic and natural polymeric hydrogels for these purposes is considered. Although natural polymers, such as various polysaccharides, have undoubted advantages related to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low cost, they are inferior to synthetic polymers in terms of water absorption and water retention properties. In this regard, the most promising are semi-synthetic polymeric superabsorbents based on natural polymers modified with additives or grafted chains of synthetic polymers, which can combine the advantages of natural and synthetic polymeric hydrogels without their disadvantages. Such semi-synthetic polymers are of great interest for agricultural applications, especially in dry regions, also because they can be used to create systems for the slow release of nutrients into the soil, which are necessary to increase crop yields using environmentally friendly technologies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elena L. Krasnopeeva
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199004, Russia
| | - Gaiane G. Panova
- Agrophysical Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 195220, Russia
| | - Alexander V. Yakimansky
- Institute of Macromolecular Compounds, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg 199004, Russia
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Sustainable alginate-carboxymethyl cellulose superabsorbents prepared by a novel quasi-cryogelation method. JOURNAL OF POLYMER RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10965-022-03185-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
|