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Synthesis of poly(acrylic acid)/sodium humate superabsorbent composite for agricultural use
Author(s) -
Mo Chu,
Shuquan Zhu,
HuaMin Li,
Zhanbin Huang,
Shuqin Li
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.24661
Subject(s) - superabsorbent polymer , acrylic acid , distilled water , copolymer , composite number , peroxydisulfate , sodium , chemistry , absorption of water , aqueous solution , sodium polyacrylate , polymer chemistry , nuclear chemistry , materials science , composite material , organic chemistry , polymer , chromatography , raw material
A novel poly (acrylic acid)/sodium humate superabsorbent composite was synthesized by graft copolymerization reaction of acrylic acid (AA) on sodium humate micropowder using N , N ′‐methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker and potassium peroxydisulfate (KPS) as an initiator in aqueous solution. The effects on water absorbency of factors such as reaction temperature, initial monomer concentration, and degree of neutralization of AA, amount of crosslinker, initiator, and sodium humate were investigated. The superabsorbent composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, and the graft copolymerization reaction of AA on sodium humate micropowder was characterized by IR spectroscopy. Results obtained from this study show that the water absorbency of the superabsorbent composite synthesized under optimal conditions for synthesis with a sodium humate content of 5.3% exhibited absorption of 684 g H 2 O/g sample in distilled water. Water‐retention in soil is enhanced by the use of the superabsorbent composite. The effect of superabsorbent composite on the growth of corn is reported. The superabsorbent composite may be of use as water management materials for agriculture purposes in desert and drought‐prone areas. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5137–5143, 2006