Fabrication and Characterization of Biomass-derived Superabsorbent Bio-gel

Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are functional macromolecules with high water absorption and retention capacities. Nowadays, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and carboxymethyl cellulose nanofibrils (CMCNFs) are widely utilized as absorbent materials to replace petroleum-based SAPs, which lead to environmental pollution. However, their waterholding characteristics are inferior compared to those of petroleum-based SAPs. In this study, we explore the polymerization of CMC and CMCNF bio-gels with acrylic acid using two distinct production routes to compare the saline water retention capacity of these biomass-based absorbents. It was suggested that the concurrent treatment of solvent exchange and the addition of CMC powder during homogenization improved the final water retention capacity of the bio-gel. Furthermore, the addition of 30% CMC powder was found to increase the initial water absorption of bio-gels by up to 52%.