ABSTRACT
The continuous increase in demand for products obtained from sustainable and non-oil resources is a major concern and an important driving force for the development of new materials. In this respect, researches have been oriented towards the development of innovative materials from renewable resources, which are easily available, cheap, and have little impact on the environment. In the recent years, hydrogels have gained increasing interest due to the possibilities to design complex and innovative three-dimensional networks with applications starting from agriculture and industry up to biomedical fields. The durability of the hydrogels from plant fibres (cotton, hemp, bagasse, etc.) has gained an increased interest and has led to their sustained development, due to their biocompatibility and availability at low cost. Cellulose nanofibres with significant mechanical, colloidal, and barrier properties have a great potential to develop novel hydrogels for various applications. Even though there has been noticeable progress in cellulose applicability, in case of lignin and hemicelluloses much research is still needed to increase the attractiveness for industry. In this regard, intense efforts have been made to develop hydrogels from lignin and hemicelluloses. This chapter provides a comprehensive knowledge and the most recent advances related to the hydrogels based on fibres and polymers from renewable resources, with reference to their preparation methods and physico-chemical properties, as well as various applications.
