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Semi-coke-enhanced eco-friendly superabsorbent composites for agricultural application

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Abstract

The superabsorbent polymers (SAP) possessed the favorable properties of absorbing and holding water, as well as the good degradability are urgently required for modern agriculture. And the grafting polymerization based on the natural polymers is an effective method for preparation of the SAP with degradability. In this work, a novel degradable SAP of CTS-g-PAA/SC was successful prepared via grafting the acrylic acid onto the chitosan (CTS) and introducing the oil shale semi-coke (SC) as inorganic component. The structure, morphology and thermal stability of the SAP were systemically studied by FTIR, SEM and TGA. Meanwhile, the water absorption capacities of SAP in different pH or various saline solutions as well as the reusability and the water retention capacity in soil were also investigated. The result suggested that the successful grafting polymerization and the SAP possessed the excellent water absorption capabilities, which were as high as 514.5 g/g in distilled water and 60.3 g/g in 0.9 wt% NaCl solution, respectively. More importantly, the cultivation experiments verified the SAP not only promoted the plants growth, but also could be degraded about 37.5% in the 70 days. Therefore, based on its excellent water retention, degradability and low cost, the SAP may have the great application potential in modern agriculture.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the Major Projects of the Natural Science Foundation of Gansu, China (18JR4RA001), the Top Ten Science and Technology Innovation Projects in Lanzhou (2019-3-1) and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association CAS (2016370).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Water-Retention Chemical Functional Materials, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, People’s Republic of China

    Yan Liu, Yongfeng Zhu, Yongsheng Wang, Li Zong & Aiqin Wang

  2. Key Laboratory of Clay Mineral Applied Research of Gansu Province, Center of Eco-Material and Green Chemistry, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, People’s Republic of China

    Yan Liu & Xicun Wang

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  1. Yan Liu
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  2. Yongfeng Zhu
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  5. Li Zong
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Correspondence to Xicun Wang or Aiqin Wang.

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Liu, Y., Zhu, Y., Wang, Y. et al. Semi-coke-enhanced eco-friendly superabsorbent composites for agricultural application. Polym. Bull. 80, 569–588 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-022-04099-0

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