Amide modified cellulose-g-poly acrylic acid as a supple superabsorbent for water retention and soil conditioner

Acrylamide has high hydrophilic properties due to the presence of hydrophilic amide functional groups and is frequently used to synthesize superabsorbents. However, the toxic and carcinogenic properties of acrylamide have caused environmental concerns. The main goal of this paper is the synthesis of superabsorbent with high water absorption from biodegradable and biocompatible cellulose polymer containing amide groups in the backbone of it instead of grafting harmful acrylamide monomers to cellulose. The supple superabsorbent of amide-2,4 modified cellulose-g-poly acrylic acid (Am-2,4 modified cellulose-g-poly (AA)) to reduce water consumption in agriculture and facilitate rooting and root penetration in clay was used. To investigate the effectiveness of superabsorbent in agriculture, its water retention in treated soil (0.2 %) with different temperatures, pHs, and soil textures (sandy loam (SL), sandy clay loam (SCL), clay loam (CL), and loam (L)) was studied. Also, water retention in SCL soil in 2 cycles showed good results. Furthermore, the study includes the optimization of the parameters affecting the water absorption capacity of the superabsorbent, which leads to the absorption of 1253.20 ± 49.67 g/g in distilled water, 86.88 ± 13.36 g/g in 1.0 wt% NaCl solution, and 395 ± 14.86 g/g in tap water under optimal conditions.