Bio-based hydrogels from acid whey as sustainable soil amendments to improve soil quality and water retention capacity

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F70883521%3A28610%2F23%3A63574618" target="_blank" >RIV/70883521:28610/23:63574618 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Bio-based hydrogels from acid whey as sustainable soil amendments to improve soil quality and water retention capacity

Original language description

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the application of soil additives to improve soil water retention, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Hydrogels are crosslinked polymers capable to retain a large amount of water and release it when the soil around plants roots starts to dry out. However, the most of hydrogels are low-biodegradable materials based on acrylates, which are considered as a potential soil contaminants. In this context, the research was focused on the development of renewable and biodegradable hydrogels for agriculture application. Acid whey is dairy by-product for which the industry has long struggled to find a sustainable application, as it is largely disposed of as waste. Nevertheless, whey has shown the potential to act as a nutritive agent for boosting the growth and quality of crops due to high content of organic compounds. Therefore, it offers the possibility of using acid whey as a material for the preparation of hydrogel, leading to a reduction in the cost of hydrogel production and the consumption of water, which is commonly used in the synthesis of hydrogels. This work deal with the preparation and characterization of a novel hydrogel based on acid whey, cellulose derivatives, and polyvinyl alcohol/poly(lactic acid) intended as a soil amendment to improve soil quality and water retention capacity. The physico-chemical properties and biodegradability of the hydrogel were characterized in order to evaluate its suitability for agriculture use. lt was found, that the addition of polyvinyl alcohol or poly(lactic acid) to the hydrogel increased stability of the material in the soil environment, with the advantage of raising water retention in soil up to 30%. Employing acid whey in the production of such hydrogels is a promising altemative that could advance fertilization practices.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

20903 - Bioproducts (products that are manufactured using biological material as feedstock) biomaterials, bioplastics, biofuels, bioderived bulk and fine chemicals, bio-derived novel materials

Project

<a href="/en/project/QK1910392" target="_blank" >QK1910392: Environmentally friendly soil conservation materials for the crop production intensification based on renewable resource</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2023

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů