A graduate student at Novosibirsk State Technical University (NETI), won the "Student Startup" competition with a project to develop an environmentally friendly composite that will help provide plants with moisture.
The technology is based on the use of softwood meal, which is a lignocellulose matrix extracted from needles and thin branches. Cellulose has a flexible structure with a high potential for modification, which allows the material to set the necessary parameters and significantly increase its ability to absorb moisture. Lignin, having a high density, acts as a durable natural framework that ensures the rigidity and stability of the entire structure, says Maria Savenko, the author of the project, an engineer at the Center for Technological Excellence at NSTU-NETI.
According to her, the synthetic hydrogels available on the market decompose into microplastics and harm the soil. Natural sorbents such as peat or untreated sawdust are environmentally friendly, but their moisture retention capacity is too low to provide long-term hydrobalance. Modification of plant waste will make it possible to create a sponge-like material that, when watered, will absorb water, and when there is a shortage of moisture, it will give the accumulated reserve to the root system of plants.
"The components forming the matrix, lignin and cellulose, are separated at the extraction stage, after which they undergo chemical crosslinking. At the final stage, the product is processed on a granulator, where it takes on a form convenient for the consumer," said Maria Savenko.
The project solves an important environmental problem by ensuring the processing of meal into a valuable product for agriculture. During processing, the resulting biopolymer framework acquires a high sorption capacity comparable to synthetic analogues, while being environmentally friendly, biodegradable and affordable through the use of recycled materials.
The advantage of the developed technology is its adaptability for processing various plant waste.
Currently, the project is at the initial stage: research is underway to optimize the extraction parameters of lignin and cellulose to ensure their maximum extraction. Further, by chemical modification of the isolated components using a crosslinking agent, a composite material will be obtained. The ultimate goal of the work is to obtain biodegradable moisture-absorbing granules - the final stage is planned to be completed by the summer of 2027.
The project is being implemented with the support of the Innovation Promotion Foundation within the framework of the "Student Startup" federal competition.