Transforming watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) rind into durable superabsorbent hydrogels for enhanced soil water retention properties and adsorbs dye in water
Bingqin Teng,
Yuan Zhong,
Jun Wu,
Jiachen Zhu,
Liqun Cai,
Peng Qi,
Zhuzhu Luo
Affiliations
Bingqin Teng
College of Resources and Environment, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China; State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
Yuan Zhong
State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
Jun Wu
College of Resources and Environment, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China; State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China; Gansu Water-saving Agricultural Engineering and Technology Research Center, Lanzhou, 730070, China; Corresponding author. College of Resources and Environment, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Jiachen Zhu
College of Resources and Environment, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China; State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
Liqun Cai
College of Resources and Environment, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China; State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China; Gansu Water-saving Agricultural Engineering and Technology Research Center, Lanzhou, 730070, China
Peng Qi
College of Resources and Environment, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China; State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China; Gansu Water-saving Agricultural Engineering and Technology Research Center, Lanzhou, 730070, China
Zhuzhu Luo
College of Resources and Environment, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China; State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China
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.
