Water Holding Performance of Natural Fiber–filled Biodegradable Absorbing Materials

ABSTRACT

Biodegradable absorbing materials (BAMs) with and without the presence of pineapple leaf fiber (PF) were prepared from the reaction of chitosan, urea and citric acid using a simple hot-mixing process. The effects of constituent ratios and PF loadings on water-absorbing performance were investigated. FTIR results of BAMs indicated the successful synthesis of the crosslinked materials, whereas the intensity of XRD patterns showed very broad peaks due to a combination of amorphous and crystalline regions. Thermogravimetric results showed that more rapid degradation was observed for the prepared materials compared to the commercial water-absorbing material. Variations of constituent ratios slightly affected the water-absorbing performance of BAMs. The presence of PF in BAM clearly improved the water uptake and its water-absorbing performance (>220 g/g) was found nearly the same level as that of a commercial diaper. BAM with the presence of PF has a potential application for slowing down the water evaporation rate from soil and hence reducing the watering cycles.

摘要

以壳聚糖、尿素和柠檬酸为原料, 采用简单的热混合工艺制备了菠萝叶纤维(PF) 存在和不存在的可生物降解吸波材料(BAMs). 研究了组成比和PF用量对吸水性能的影响. BAMs的FTIR结果表明成功合成了交联材料, 而XRD图谱的强度由于非晶态和晶态区域的组合而显示出非常宽的峰. 热重分析结果表明, 与市售吸水材料相比, 所制备材料的降解速度更快. 组成比的变化对BAMs的吸水性能影响不大. BAM中PF的存在明显提高了吸水率, 其吸水性能(>220g/g) 与商用尿布的吸水性能几乎相同. 含PF的BAM有可能减缓土壤水分蒸发速率, 从而缩短浇水周期.

KEYWORDS:

• Pineapple fiber
• water absorbing material
• biodegradable
• chitosan
• hydrogel

关键词:

• 菠萝纤维
• 吸水材料
• 可生物降解
• 壳聚糖
• 水凝胶

Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by Mahasarakham University (grant year 2020). The authors would like to express their profound gratitude and sincere appreciation to the Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH‐CIC), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahasarakham University.

Disclosure statement

There is no conflict of interest to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Mahasarakham University [Grant year 2020].