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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Manufacturing Of Robust Natural Fiber Preforms Utilizing Bacterial Cellulose as Binder
Published on: May 22, 2014
Bacterial cellulose based superabsorbent production: A promising example for high value-added utilization of clay and
Mu-Tan Luo1, Chao Huang2, Hai-Long Li2
1Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, PR China; Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, PR China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New and Renewable Energy Research and Development, Guangzhou 510640, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China.
Abstract:
Superabsorbent was synthesized from bacterial cellulose (BC) generated by in situ fermentation on bentonite inorganic gel (BIG). For BIG preparation, the effect of sodium agent's type and content, temperature and time of sodium-modification, and gelling agent's type and content on the viscosity of BIG were learned to optimize the synthesis process. For polymerization, the effect of different factors including ratio of monomer to substrate (modified BC from in situ fermentation), content of initiator and crosslinker, monomer neutralization degree, reaction temperature and time on the performance of composite (superabsorbent) synthesized were analyzed. Under optimal condition, the composite showed good water absorption, salts absorption, and water retention capacity. The original bentonite, sodium-based bentonite, BIG and composite structure was characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and the characterization partly explained the performance of water absorption and thermal stability of the composite. Overall, this study provides one method for superabsorbent synthesis from low-cost and natural resources.
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