Design and manufacturing of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) for agriculture in arid areas

Innovative water-saving technologies aim to address the problem of water scarcity in agriculture, which faces significant challenges in solving the problem of agriculture in semi-arid and arid areas. This study specifically focuses on establishing a promising low-cost method to solve water scarcity and agriculture issues in semi-arid and arid areas. The objective of this study is to find an innovative engineering solution to design, manufacture, and produce an engineered product that has the potential to assist and change agriculture in semi-arid and arid areas. Design and manufacture of an innovative engineering product in the form of absorbent tiles (ATs), ATs can absorb and retain large volumes of water, helping to maintain moisture, and consistent moisture levels promote better root growth, and nutrient supply leading to healthier plants and increased crop yields, and reduce the need for frequent irrigation. The study objective was achieved by synthesis of two superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) materials, the synthesis of sodium polyacrylate (hydrogel#1) with five varying cross-linker content (wt.), synthesis of poly (sodium acrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate) (hydrogel#2) with five varying cross-linker content (wt.), prepare the agriculture residual rice straw (RS) fiber length with three dimensions as a filler, prepare the natural adhesive (NA) solution as a biopolymer backbone, and design and manufacture hydraulic manual press ( test rig). These composites were mixed, compressed, and shaped to design and manufacture two tiles including AT1 (AT-NaPA) and AT2 (AT-AGMA) with different dimensions according to the effect root zone of the plant type to absorb and retain rainwater dew water and reduce irrigation frequency. Furthermore, ATs improve plant growth and nutrient supply under aridity condition and facilitate water conservation.