Formaldehyde Cross-Linked Poly (acrylate-co-acrylamide) Superabsorbent in Organism-Ecosystem Interactions

Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) have recently been designed to meet the requirements of various applications such as agriculture. In this study, a new formaldehyde cross-linked poly (acrylate-co-acrylamide) (FCP(Ac-co-Am)) SAP was successfully synthesized using the solution polymerization and based on the co-polymerization of acrylic acid and acrylamide in the presence of potassium persulfate as an initiator and formaldehyde as a crosslinking agent. Fourier Transform InfraRed (FT-IR) and Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (HNMR) spectroscopy along with ThermoGravimetric Analysis (TGA) were applied to determine the molecular structure and characterization of the synthesized SAP. The swelling properties of the (FCP(Ac-co-Am)) SAP such as free absorbency, wicking capacity, and swelling rate were evaluated, and the values of 15000 +/- 650 %, 0.12 +/- 0.004 g/g, and 270 +/- 12 s were obtained respectively. Moreover, the impact of the synthesized SAP in the improvement of soil properties was examined using real-time- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), MTT, fluorescent microscopic, and, DNA Ladder assays. The obtained results showed that the (FCP(Ac-co-Am)) SAP did not inhibit germination, beneficial soil microbes and, normal plant growth. The effects of the synthesized SAP on soil and agricultural achievements in Iran, an arid country were tested and satisfactory results were obtained.