Study on Preparation and Properties of Super Absorbent Gels of Homogenous Cotton Straw-Acrylic Acid-Acrylamide by Graft Copolymerization

• Published in: Gels
• Main Authors: Jun Guo, Jing Shi, Lisheng Xu, Xingtao Zhang, Fangkai Han, Minwei Xu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
• Subjects: homogenous cotton straw; acrylic acid; water absorption ratio; acrylamide; graft polymer
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/11/8/583

To rationally utilize and develop agricultural waste products, this research involved the synthesis of degradable high water-absorbing resin through the graft copolymerization of cotton straw (CS) with monomers. Among them, acrylic acid (AA) and acrylamide (Am) are used as grafting copolymer monomers, cellulose in the straw serves as the network framework, and MBA acts as the crosslinking agent. ⁶⁰Co gamma rays as initiators. Different concentrations of alkaline solution were used to dissolve the cellulose in the straw. Single-factor and orthogonal experiments were conducted to optimize the experimental conditions. various analytical methods such as thermogravimetric analysis (TG), X-ray crystallography (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize the structure and properties of the product. ⁶⁰Co gamma rays as initiators, can reduce the pollution caused by chemical initiators and lower energy consumption. Through this research, agricultural waste can be effectively utilized, reducing environmental pollution, lowering industrial energy consumption, and synthesizing degradable and environmentally friendly high-absorbent resins. The product can be applied to agricultural water retention agent, fertilizer controlled release agent and other aspects.