Application of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) hydrogel produced by conventional crosslinking or by freezing and thawing

Hydrogels for this study were prepared from a mixture of PVA and CMC using three different techniques, i.e., freezing and thawing, electron-beam irradiation or combined freezing and thawing and electron beam irradiation. A comparative study between the three techniques was carried out in terms of gel fraction (%) and swelling (%). It was found that the physical properties of the hydrogel were improved when the combination of freezing and thawing and irradiation were used rather than just freezing and thawing, or irradiation only. The effects of temperature and soil fertilizers on swelling (%) were examined to evaluate the usefulness of the hydrogel as a super absorbent in the soil. It was found that the swelling ratio increased as the composition of CMC increased in the blend. Hence, the blend having the composition 80/20 (CMC/PVA) was used as a super absorbent in the soil for agriculture. Moreover, the water retention increased in the soil containing this hydrogel. Thus, this type of hydrogel can be used to increase water retention in desert regions.