Sodium alginate-g-poly(acrylic acid-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)/montmorillonite superabsorbent composite: Preparation,swelling investigation and its application as a slow-release fertilizer

Sodium alginate-g-poly(acrylic acid-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)/montmorillonite superabsorbent composites (SACs) were prepared by graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) onto sodium alginate (Na-Alg) in the presence of montmorillonite (MMT) using N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker and potassium persulfate (KPS) as an initiator in aqueous solution. The composite structures were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The effect of % initiator, crosslinker amount and clay ratio on the swelling capacity was investigated. The results indicated that the highest swelling capacity of the composites in distilled water was 752 g/g by using 1.25% KPS and 0.06% MBA, 75% AA, 6.25% HEMA and 12.5% Na-Alg. Different samples were loaded with urea to evaluate their release potentials, and the release was studied by measuring the conductivity. The amount of urea release increased with increasing MMT amount.