Evaluation of water-retaining materials made from fruits peels

ABSTRACT

Acrylamide-based superabsorbent polymers are used in agriculture to increase water retention in soils, although the high cost and low biodegradability may be negative aspects for the widespread use of these products. The present work evaluated experimental water-retaining materials made from the peels of orange, passion fruit and coffee, low cost and highly biodegradable materials. The experimental materials were characterized for water absorption and resorption capacity as well as water retention of these materials mixed with natural soil. The absorption capacity of orange and passion fruit materials was 12.5 g.g⁻¹ and coffee 6.6 g.g⁻¹, while the acrylamide polymer (used for comparison) had an absorption capacity of 293 g.g⁻¹. In contrast to the acrylamide-based polymer, the experimental materials had low water resorption capacity. The orange and passion fruit water-retaining materials provided a significant increase in water retention in natural soils for a period of up to 32 days after the application of the materials, while the coffee material did the same for a period of up to 24 days. The water-retaining materials made with fruit peels showed potential for being used as soil conditioners of relatively short action.

Keywords:
agriculture; water conservation; water-retaining materials; sustainability