ABSTRACT

This study concerns the preparation, characterization and evaluation of water-swellable hydrogel via grafting cross-linked polyacrylamide (PAM) chains onto gelatin backbone by free radical polymerization for agricultural applications. The characterizations by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) provide proofs of grafting process on the backbone of gelatin. The water-holding capacity of grafted hydrogel was found depend on the concentrations of the feed compositions of the hydrogel. Moreover, the hydrogel particle size was found also of determining effect where maximum swelling was observed with particles size ranged from 500 μm to 1mm. The prepared crosslinked PAM-g-gelatin hydrogel shows good thermal stability and moderate sensitivity towards media pH changes in the range of 1-4. Finally, the retention of water by the hydrogel graft copolymer in sandy soil has been used as monitor to evaluate its applicability as soil conditioners. The obtained results recommended our preparation for biotechnological and agricultural applications.