Superabsorbent polymers are 3D hydrophilic networks capable of absorbing a large amount of water. The most common commercial superabsorbent is sodium polyacrylate. Poor biodegradation and petrochemical-based provenance of this superabsorbent have led researchers to look for biodegradable, renewable alternatives.<br/>In this study, nanocellulose superabsorbents have been prepared from Bleached Eucalyptus Kraft (BEK) pulp. Absorption fundamentals and biodegradation time has been studied to justify it’s suitability for meat packaging and personal care applications (diaper).<br/>Absorption kinetics studies indicate that BEK superabsorbents with high surface charge (HSC) demonstrate slower but higher water absorption capacity compared to that of low surface charge (LSC). This behaviour is attributed to the low pore size and high fibrillation, confirmed by MicroCT (Figure 1) and SAXS, which results from increasing the fibre surface charge. Water absorption capacity was measured for both short (fraction of second) and long-time scales (3 days) to link the observations to the fundamental absorption phases: wicking and fibre bundle swelling. The effect of fibre bundle swelling was higher for the high surface charged superabsorbent compared to its low surface charged counterpart.<br/>The biodegradability of this novel material was tested under accelerated biodegradation conditions and around 90% degradation in four days indicate that this material to be a suitable, sustainable replacement for commercial superabsorbent in packaging and hygiene products.<br/>This study engineered performant nanocellulose superabsorbent for high-end applications while maintaining environmental sustainability.

Engineering performant nanocellulose superabsorbents

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.