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Papers
20 resultsShowing papers similar to Superabsorbent Hydrogels in the Agriculture and Reclamation of Degraded Areas
ClearPolymeric Hydrogels in Agriculture: Environmental Performance, Sustainability Challenges, and Future Perspectives
A review assessed the environmental performance and degradation behavior of polymeric hydrogels used in agriculture as soil moisture-retaining agents. The study raises concerns about whether these materials break down safely or contribute to microplastic accumulation in farmland soils.
Significance of biopolymer-based hydrogels and their applications in agriculture: a review in perspective of synthesis and their degree of swelling for water holding
Researchers reviewed the development and agricultural applications of hydrogels made from natural biopolymers, which are biodegradable alternatives to synthetic plastics. These hydrogels can retain large amounts of water and deliver nutrients or active compounds to soil in a controlled way. The study suggests that biopolymer hydrogels could help improve crop yields while reducing the environmental burden of synthetic plastic materials in agriculture.
Development and characterization of a carboxymethyl cellulose-alginate hybrid superabsorbent hydrogel designed for water management in agriculture
Researchers formulated a carboxymethyl cellulose and sodium alginate hydrogel for agricultural water retention, optimizing it to absorb over 1,600 times its weight in water while remaining thermally stable and reusable — offering a bio-based alternative to synthetic superabsorbent polymers that contribute to microplastic pollution in farmland soils.
Polymeric Hydrogelsin Agriculture: EnvironmentalPerformance, Sustainability Challenges, and Future Perspectives
This review examines polymeric hydrogels as soil amendments for climate-smart agriculture, finding that these cross-linked water-swelling networks can improve soil moisture retention, reduce irrigation frequency, and enhance fertilizer utilization, while also addressing environmental persistence and degradation challenges.
Advancements in Cellulose-Based Superabsorbent Hydrogels: Sustainable Solutions across Industries
This review explores how cellulose-based superabsorbent materials, made from sustainable plant sources, are being developed as eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic hydrogels for use in agriculture, medicine, and pollution control. These biodegradable materials could help reduce the growing microplastic problem caused by conventional synthetic hydrogels that break down into persistent plastic fragments in the environment.
Smart Hydrogels for Sustainable Agriculture
This article reviews how "smart hydrogels" -- materials that can absorb and slowly release water and nutrients -- could transform agriculture by reducing water waste and excessive chemical use. While not directly about microplastics, these gel-based systems could help reduce the environmental contamination that comes from conventional farming practices. The authors highlight that more research is needed to make these materials practical and affordable for widespread farm use.
Unveiling the potency of polymers and their environmental implications: an agricultural perspective
Researchers reviewed the expanding use of synthetic polymers in agriculture — including water-retaining superabsorbent polymers and slow-release coatings — and found that while they boost crop yields and conserve water, they also contribute to soil microplastic pollution over time. The review calls for more research into biodegradable alternatives to reduce the long-term environmental burden of plastic-based farming inputs.
Superabsorbent polymers in soil: The new microplastics?
This review examines whether superabsorbent polymers used in agriculture, personal care products, and construction could become a new form of microplastic pollution in soil. Researchers found that weathering may transform these polymers into solid plastic-like residues over time, though the specific conditions driving this transformation are not yet well understood. The study suggests more research is needed to determine the long-term environmental fate of these widely used materials.
Review: Superabsorbent polymers in soil: The new microplastics? — R0/PR2
This paper asks whether superabsorbent polymers used in agriculture and personal care products could be the next microplastic concern. Like conventional microplastics, synthetic superabsorbent polymers can persist in soils, affect plant and soil organism health, and may need regulatory attention.
Author comment: Superabsorbent polymers in soil: The new microplastics? — R0/PR1
This paper introduces a review examining whether superabsorbent polymers (like those in disposable diapers and agricultural gels) should be considered as a new category of microplastics in soil. Superabsorbent polymers are widespread in consumer products and agriculture, and their environmental fate raises questions similar to those surrounding conventional microplastics.
Carboxylated Nanocellulose Superabsorbent: Biodegradation and Soil Water Retention Properties
Researchers tested biodegradable, cellulose-derived superabsorbent polymers for improving soil water retention in agriculture. Unlike conventional petroleum-based superabsorbents, these cellulose-based materials degrade in soil rather than persisting as microplastic particles.
Progress, challenge and perspective of hydrogels application in food: a review
Researchers reviewed how hydrogels — water-absorbing polymer networks — can be engineered to detect and remove food contaminants including microplastics, heavy metals, and pesticides, as well as to extend food shelf life. While hydrogels show broad promise for food safety applications, the review notes challenges around scalability and the need for further real-world testing.
Superabsorbent Polymers: From long-established, microplastics generating systems, to sustainable, biodegradable and future proof alternatives
This review examined how conventional acrylate-based superabsorbent polymers generate microplastics due to their non-biodegradable nature, and assessed emerging biodegradable alternatives that could provide sustainable, future-proof replacements for hygiene and agricultural applications.
Hydrogel-based nanocomposites for enhanced environmental remediation
A review covered hydrogel-based nanocomposites engineered to adsorb and remove pollutants including microplastics from water. These materials show promise as efficient, tunable sorbents for environmental remediation applications.
Enhancing Soil Resilience: Bacterial Alginate Hydrogel vs. Algal Alginate in Mitigating Agricultural Challenges
This paper is not about microplastics; it compares bacterial and algal alginate hydrogels as natural soil conditioners to improve the structural and hydraulic properties of degraded soils.
Fabrication and Characterization of Biomass-derived Superabsorbent Bio-gel
Not relevant to microplastics — this paper develops and tests bio-based superabsorbent gels made from carboxymethyl cellulose as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based superabsorbent polymers for water retention applications.
Review: Superabsorbent polymers in soil: The new microplastics? — R0/PR3
This peer review evaluates a paper on whether superabsorbent polymers in soil should be considered a new form of microplastics. The review contributes to the scientific discourse on defining and understanding emerging polymer pollutants in agricultural environments.
From Fruit Waste to Hydrogels for Agricultural Applications
Not relevant to microplastics — this study develops biodegradable hydrogels from fruit waste (pectin and starch) to reduce water loss and slow herbicide migration in sandy agricultural soils, without any connection to plastic pollution.
Impact of Microplastics on Soil Health: Soil-Water Retention, Shrinkage and Holding Properties
A review of research on microplastics in soil found that plastic particles can alter water retention, shrinkage, and structural properties in ways that could reduce agricultural productivity. Because microplastics are as prevalent in soils as in oceans, their terrestrial impacts warrant much greater research attention.
Impact of polyacrylic acid as soil amendment on soil microbial activity under different moisture regimes
Researchers examined how polyacrylic acid, a synthetic superabsorbent polymer used as a soil amendment, affects soil microbial activity under different moisture conditions. The study found that high concentrations suppressed microbial respiration in sandy soil, while in loam soil the effects were more variable and influenced by drying-rewetting cycles, highlighting concerns about synthetic polymers altering soil ecosystems.