Aug 2026· Industrial & Engineering
Chemistry Research· Vol 65, pp. 17969-17982· 0 citations· 75 references
Abstract
Agricultural hydrogels with high lignin content are promising sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based superabsorbents. Here, kraft lignin was modified by Ce(IV)-initiated graft polymerization with polyacrylamide (PAAm), poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc), and their copolymers to produce lignin-derived hydrogels with tunable network structures and performance. Hydrogel properties were controlled by varying the composition of the grafted chains and cross-linker content. Materials containing PAAc fragments exhibited higher equilibrium swelling (265–400 g g–1) and faster water uptake than PAAm-grafted hydrogels (240–300 g g–1). Incorporation of 2.5 wt % hydrogel into soil prolonged moisture retention by approximately 50% under the tested conditions. The hydrogels also exhibited high urea loading capacity and sustained release over several days, with release predominantly governed by diffusion through the hydrogel matrix. Wheat seed germination tests confirmed the absence of short-term phytotoxicity. These lignin-derived hydrogels represent cost-effective and sustainable candidates for water-retaining and fertilizer-delivery applications in agriculture.
The low utilization efficiency of conventional fertilizers (≤ 30%) and increasing environmental stressors necessitate advanced materials for sustainable agriculture. Herein, we report a synthetic chemical‐free biodegradable lignin–carrageenan (50:50) bio‐composite hydrogel engineered as a conformal coating for urea...
Tarun Kumar Gayen, S. G. Warkar, Mohammad Amdad Ali· Polymer Engineering & Sc...· 0 citations
While bio-based hydrogels derived from lignin and chitosan are promising sustainable adsorbents, their practical application is hindered by poor mechanical stability. This study addresses this limitation by synthesizing lignin-chitosan hydrogels using vanillin as a green, bio-derived crosslinker via a facile solution-c...
Moses Ayitey-Adjin, Mohammad Jahid Hasan, Jeremy Erb et al.· Polymer Bulletin· 0 citations
Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) has been developed as a renewable material for highly absorbent hydrogels, but excessive swelling and insufficient network stability have limited its practical applications. Here, organosolv bamboo pulp containing approximately 20 wt% residual lignin was directly dissolved in aqueous sod...
Sa-Rang Choi, Jae Yong Lee, Jin Ho Kim et al.· Polymer Engineering & Sc...· 0 citations
In the agricultural sector, the application of bio‐based superabsorbent hydrogels offers significant potential for addressing challenges related to crop productivity and soil conditioning. In this study, carboxymethyl tamarind kernel gum (CMTKG), (poly)sodiumacrylate (PSA), itaconic acid (IA), and Zeolite (ZL) were...
Priyanka Yadav, S. G. Warkar, Anil Kumar· Polymer Engineering & Sc...· 0 citations
Abstract Hydrogels have been widely investigated as sorbent materials for wastewater treatment due to their high-water absorption capacity and adjustable physicochemical properties. In this context, the incorporation of renewable biomasses into polymeric matrices represents a sustainable strategy to enhance material pe...
A. C. dos Reis, A. L. Kerek, Francielle Lopes et al.· Brazilian Archives of Biolog...· 0 citations
