Optimization of Celery Tail Waste-Based Hydrogels and Application in Soil Water Retention

Wang, Yuqin; Zhong, Yuan; Wu, Jun; Xie, Yufan; Fang, Shiwei; Cai, Liqun

doi:10.3390/gels11040248

Open AccessArticle

Optimization of Celery Tail Waste-Based Hydrogels and Application in Soil Water Retention

by

Yuqin Wang

^1,2,

Yuan Zhong

²

,

Jun Wu

^1,2,*

,

Yufan Xie

^1,2,

Shiwei Fang

^1,2 and

Liqun Cai

^1,2

¹

College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China

²

State Key Laboratory of Aridland Crop Science, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Gels 2025, 11(4), 248; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11040248

Submission received: 24 February 2025 / Revised: 21 March 2025 / Accepted: 25 March 2025 / Published: 27 March 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Properties and Application of Gel Materials)

Download

Browse Figures

Versions Notes

Abstract

In order to meet the demand for coordinated development of agricultural waste utilization and water-saving agriculture, this study utilized waste celery tailings (CT) to make a super-absorbent hydrogel by chemical cross-linking. The hydrogel was optimized and screened. The study demonstrated the optimal CT-gel synthesis method: 7.5 wt% CT, 0.05 wt% MBA cross-linker, and 70 °C for 2 h. The optimized gel had a water absorption of 708 g/g and a water retention of more than 20% at 25 °C on day 10. The soil water retention of the CT-gel increased with time and dosage. In sandy soils, 0.6% CT-gel was most effective. The pot experiment showed that 2% of the gel significantly increased the height and growth rate of radish seedlings. This study effectively utilized various components of CT and provided a scalable approach for converting agricultural waste into functional materials, which is valuable for arid soil improvement and sustainable agriculture.

Keywords: celery tail waste; hydrogel; water absorption capacity; ratio optimization; soil water retention

Graphical Abstract

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Wang, Y.; Zhong, Y.; Wu, J.; Xie, Y.; Fang, S.; Cai, L. Optimization of Celery Tail Waste-Based Hydrogels and Application in Soil Water Retention. Gels 2025, 11, 248. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11040248

AMA Style

Wang Y, Zhong Y, Wu J, Xie Y, Fang S, Cai L. Optimization of Celery Tail Waste-Based Hydrogels and Application in Soil Water Retention. Gels. 2025; 11(4):248. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11040248

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wang, Yuqin, Yuan Zhong, Jun Wu, Yufan Xie, Shiwei Fang, and Liqun Cai. 2025. "Optimization of Celery Tail Waste-Based Hydrogels and Application in Soil Water Retention" Gels 11, no. 4: 248. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11040248

APA Style

Wang, Y., Zhong, Y., Wu, J., Xie, Y., Fang, S., & Cai, L. (2025). Optimization of Celery Tail Waste-Based Hydrogels and Application in Soil Water Retention. Gels, 11(4), 248. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11040248

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Optimization of Celery Tail Waste-Based Hydrogels and Application in Soil Water Retention

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI