Teng Bingqin, Zhong Yuan, Wu Jun, Zhu Jiachen, Cai Liqun, Qi Peng, Luo Zhuzhu
College of Resources and Environment, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Heliyon. 2024 Sep 27;10(19):e38656. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38656. eCollection 2024 Oct 15.
Innovative superabsorbent hydrogels were synthesized from watermelon rind (WR), an abundant agricultural waste. The process involved free radical polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) and acrylamide (AAm) with WR particles activated by ammonium persulfate (APS), resulting in (AA-co-AAm)/WR hydrogels with high equilibrium swelling capacities of 749 ± 32 g/g. Notably, after eight cycles, the WR hydrogel maintained 94.88 % of its initial swelling capacity, significantly outperforming the (AA-co-AAm) hydrogel without WR (13.80 % retention). This durability, combined with excellent water retention across various soil textures and high adsorption capacity for methylene blue (MB), underscores the WR hydrogel as a superior soil moisture conservation agent. This study marks a significant advance in recycling organic waste and enhancing water management in agricultural soils, demonstrating the potential for sustainable hydrogel development.
创新性高吸水性水凝胶由西瓜皮（WR）合成，西瓜皮是一种丰富的农业废弃物。该过程涉及丙烯酸（AA）和丙烯酰胺（AAm）在过硫酸铵（APS）活化的WR颗粒存在下的自由基聚合，得到平衡溶胀能力高达749±32 g/g的（AA-co-AAm）/WR水凝胶。值得注意的是，经过八个循环后，WR水凝胶仍保持其初始溶胀能力的94.88%，显著优于不含WR的（AA-co-AAm）水凝胶（保留率为13.80%）。这种耐久性，再加上在各种土壤质地中优异的保水能力以及对亚甲基蓝（MB）的高吸附能力，突出了WR水凝胶作为一种优质土壤保水剂的特性。这项研究标志着在有机废弃物回收利用和加强农业土壤水分管理方面取得了重大进展，展示了可持续水凝胶开发的潜力。
