Preparation of biodegradable xanthan-glycerol hydrogel, foam, film, aerogel and xerogel at room temperature

Dragoljub Bilanovic; Jeanna Starosvetsky; Robert H Armon

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.04.058

Preparation of biodegradable xanthan-glycerol hydrogel, foam, film, aerogel and xerogel at room temperature

Carbohydr Polym. 2016 Sep 5:148:243-50. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.04.058. Epub 2016 Apr 14.

Authors

Dragoljub Bilanovic¹, Jeanna Starosvetsky², Robert H Armon³

Affiliations

¹ Center for Environmental, Earth, and Space Studies, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN 56601, USA. Electronic address: dbilanovic@bemidjistate.edu.
² Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Department of Water and Agricultural Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel. Electronic address: starjean@tx.technion.ac.il.
³ Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Department of Water and Agricultural Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel. Electronic address: cvrrobi@tx.technion.ac.il.

PMID: 27185137
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2016.04.058

Abstract

Polymers, hence hydrogels, pollute waters and soils accelerating environmental degradation. Environmentally benign hydrogels were made in water from biodegradable xanthan (X) and glycerol (G) at 22.5±2.5°C. Molar ratio [G]/[X]<3.0 was used to maximize crosslinking by mono-glycerol instead by poly-glycerol. XG-hydrogels were transformed into: XG-foams, XG-films, and XG-aerogel. Anionic character of XG-materials changes with changing [G]/[X] ratio. XG-films made from XG-hydrogels absorb up to 40 times more water than XG-films made from XG-foams. The films made from XG-foams and HCl do not dissolve in water during 48h. Making XG-materials is a no-waste process which decreases pollution, eliminates waste disposal costs, and minimizes energy expenses. XG-materials are suitable for both industrial and environmental applications including slow release and concentration of cations. XG-materials, made of xanthan, microbial polysaccharide, could also be used in applications targeting populations that do not consume meat or meat based products.

Keywords: Aerogel; Film; Foam; Hydrogel; Xanthan-Glycerol.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Glycerol / chemistry
Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / chemical synthesis*
Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / standards
Polysaccharides, Bacterial / chemistry
Temperature

Substances

Polysaccharides, Bacterial
Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate
Glycerol
xanthan gum