Fabrication of Grafted Carboxymethyl Cellulose Superabsorbent Hydrogel for Water Retention and Sustained Release of Ethephon in Sandy Soil

Abstract The present study aimed to develop an efficient superabsorbent hydrogel for water conservation and slow release of Ethephon in sandy soil. Herein, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was grafted via a free radical polymerization technique with acrylamide 2-Acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) as hydrophilic monomers. developed CMC-g-(PAM-co-PAMPS) graft copolymer characterized by FTIR, TGA, SEM analysis prove the occurrence grafting process. Several factors affecting process were investigated, while maximum (%) value reached 91%. Moreover, increasing AMPS ratio obviously improved swelling degree maximal 17,770%. addition 2% soil potentially enhanced retention 47% compared pure which retained about 7% water. Besides, up 20% significantly increased its loading 88%, 87% released within 28 days sustained manner. results suggested that fabricated can serve nutrient carrier amendment advanced agricultural applications.