Durability indicatives of hydrogel for agricultural and forestry use in saline conditions

Nascimento, Carla Danielle Vasconcelos do; Feitosa, Judith Pessoa de Andrade; Simmons, Robert W.; Dias, Carlos Tadeu dos Santos; Nascimento, Ícaro Vasconcelos do; Mota, Jaedson Claúdio Anunciato; Costa, Mírian Cristina Gomes

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104622

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Several studies have shown that the swelling performance of hydrogels can be drastically reduced by soil salinity due to the “charge screening effect”. , Thus, we evaluated the effect of different electrolyte solutions to simulate the effect of common ions found in soil on microgel swelling and stability. Figure b shows the measured d s values of the microgel in different electrolyte solutions.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming Sand into Arable Substrate Using Biobased Microgels to Improve Land Productivity

Escayo,

Mondarte,

et al. 2024

ACS Appl. Polym. Mater.

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Crop cultivation in coarse sand poses challenges due to its poor water-holding capacity, and as a consequence, such substrate is poor in holding nutrients necessary to support crop growth. The use of swellable microgel as a soil conditioner can enhance the hydraulic properties of sand, which may lead to better plant growth performance despite the inherent poor water-holding ability of sand. This study explores the use of a highly swellable microgel based on Ca2+-cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/alginate for water retention and conditioning of the substrate–coarse sand. The microgel was spray-dried, resulting in spherical particles with an average diameter of ∼2 μm. The swelling ratio (SR) of the microgel was found to be dependent on the CMC:alginate mass ratio and displayed pH-responsive properties due to the ionizability of the −COOH groups. Displacement of Ca2+-alginate cross-link by nongelling ions (i.e., Na+, Mg2+) resulted in greater swelling but reduced the mechanical stability of the microgel. It was found that 0.1–0.5% (w/w) microgel addition in coarse sand greatly enhanced the water-holding and retention properties of the substrate. With this addition of microgels in sand, there is further enhancement in the survival and growth of Amaranthus tricolor seedlings during well-watered and drought conditions. These findings suggest the potential of Ca2+-cross-linked CMC/alginate microgels as a water retention agent and conditioner for coarse and dry substrates, hence providing the opportunity to expand the land available for agriculture.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%