Analysis of microwave vs. thermally assisted grafting of poly(methyl-vinyl ether co-maleic acid)-polyethylene glycol to birch kraft pulp

Abstract

Alternative methods of enhancing water absorption of birch pulp fibers by crosslinking poly(methyl vinyl etherco-maleic acid) and polyethylene glycol are briefly explored. While thermal initiated crosslinking is common, microwave initiated crosslinking of lignocellulosics is less studied. The thermal and microwave initiated crosslinking were compared through water absorption and retention. The microwave conditions were optimized to 105 s at 1600 W, while the thermal samples were placed in a 1308C oven for 6.5 min. Both methods resulted in successfully creating new superabsorbent fibers. The microwave initiated crosslinked fibers absorbed 45-413% more water and the thermal initiated fibers absorbed 210-582% more water than the control fibers (37.3 g/g and 29.4 g/g, respectively). This study demonstrated that it is possible to utilize microwave technology to enhance water absorption properties of lignocellulosics fibers and to reduce reaction times.

Enhanced Absorbent Products Incorporating Cellulose and Its Derivatives: A Review

“…As shown by Goetz et al (2009Goetz et al ( , 2011, such an approach can lead to absorbencies in the range of 30 to 200 g/g, especially if a crosslinking agent is employed. Such results show that it is possible to blur the distinction between what is a surface-modified fiber and what is a true hydrogel.…”