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Controlled release characteristics of methylenebisacrylamide crosslinked superabsorbent polymer for water and fertilizer conservation in agriculture sector

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Abstract

A series of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) were synthesized free-radically using hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), acrylic acid (AA) and its potassium salt, methacrylic acid (MAA) and its potassium salt as monomers, and N,N'-Methylenebisacrylamide (N,N1-MBA) as crosslinker. The synthesized SAPs were evaluated for their chemical structure (FT-IR), thermal stability (TGA/DTG), surface morphology (SEM), and water, fertilizers uptake and release characteristics (swelling and deswelling). A SAP with the optimized composition of monomer and crosslinker had absorbed 898 g/g of water, and 68% of urea and 51% of potash from the 1% corresponding fertilizer solutions. The equilibrium swollen SAP had released the absorbed water completely over 21 days, but only 28% of potash and 43% of urea were released from the fertilizer-loaded SAPs under identical conditions with the same duration of release time. The water uptake followed Fickian diffusion mechanism for the optimized SAP. Thus obtained experimental results revealed that the synthesized SAP may be used as the matrix for the controlled release of water and fertilizers in the agricultural sector.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology for the initial financial support (TNSCST/YSFS/VR/18/2016-2017 /1128, Date: 12.04.2017), the management of Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam, Sri Ramakrishana Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore for encouraging this research work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Sri Ramakrishana Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science, Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore, 641 020, India

    Dhanapal V

  2. Department of Chemistry, Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sathyamangalam- 638 401 Erode Dt, Tamil Nadu, India

    Subhapriya P

  3. Department of Chemistry, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bangalore, 560 078, Karnataka, India

    Sennappan M

  4. Department of Chemistry, PSG College of Arts & Science Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641014, India

    Govindaraju K M

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  1. Dhanapal V
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V, D., P, S., M, S. et al. Controlled release characteristics of methylenebisacrylamide crosslinked superabsorbent polymer for water and fertilizer conservation in agriculture sector. J Polym Res 29, 298 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-022-03118-y

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