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Polymers for Soil in Agriculture and Urban Landscaping
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Polymers for Soil in Agriculture and Urban Landscaping

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 June 2023) | Viewed by 10577

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Andrey Valentinovich Smagin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Soil Science Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, GSP-1, Leninskie Gory, Moscow 119991, Russia
Interests: soil physics and biogeophysics; agriculture; environmental science; physical chemistry; thermodynamics; mathematical modeling; natural and synthetic polymers; biodegradation; plant productivity; forestry; urban ecology; intelligent soil design

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The accumulation of organic carbon in the form of complex biopolymers is one of the main processes that control the properties and functioning of natural soils. However, this is a long process that takes place over centuries and even millennia. Is it possible to accelerate the formation of soils and their fertility in agricultural landscapes and urban ecosystems through the use of synthetic polymer materials? How many of these polymers are needed? How effective will they be in improving the basic physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils that control fertility and the basic ecological functions of soils? Will such polymers be stable in soils, and how long will their positive effects last? We hope to answer these questions in this Special Issue of the journal Polymers. The aim of the Special Issue is to explore the innovative achievements and key challenges in the application of polymers for soils in agriculture and urban landscaping. The Special Issue will cover the following main topics:

A. Polymeric materials with desired properties and nanostructural organization for:

  • the improvement of crop production and quality;
  • the optimization of dispersity, aggregate structure, composition, and porosity of soils;
  • the improvement of water retention, and the saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of soils;
  • the development of agrochemical delivery systems to reduce environmental pollution and health hazards;
  • the management of soil biological activity, carbon gas emissions, and antipathogenic plant protection;
  • the geostabilization of the soil surface, and its protection from dust formation, water and wind erosion, and landslides;
  • the optimization of irrigation, drainage, and soil protection against salinization;
  • applications in rice cultivation and aquaculture;
  • applications in soil remediation and intellectual soil design.

B. The challenges of polymer stability and the functioning of polymeric materials in biologically and chemically active polydispension porous media of soils.

  • polymer biodegradation and its controlling factors;
  • polymer inactivation due to chemical reactions and physico-chemical processes (sorption, dissolution and leaching, coagulation, syneresis);
  • swelling polymers and nanostructure depression due to osmotic stress, overburden pressure in the pore space, ice/water phase transition, etc.

C. Methodologies for laboratory and field trials focused on polymers used in agriculture.

  • laboratory trials (physical, physicochemical, chemical, biological properties);
  • field trials and monitoring.

D. Environmental and economic problems of polymer applications in agriculture

  • polymers efficiency and cost (payback) in different forms of agriculture and urban landscaping;
  • recycling of polymer raw materials and reducing the cost of polymer products for agriculture and urban landscaping;
  • polymer pollution in the environment and its prevention. 

Prof. Dr. Andrey V. Smagin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Polymers for soils
  • Water-retaining polymers
  • Soil protective polymers
  • Polymer artificial soil structure
  • Polymer delivery systems
  • Polymer biodegradation in soils
  • Polymer leaching in soils
  • Amphimphilic polymers and gel structures
  • Polymer nanostructural organization
  • Smart polymers for soil design

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4632 KiB  
Article
Biodegradability of Gel-Forming Superabsorbents for Soil Conditioning: Kinetic Assessment Based on CO2 Emissions
by Andrey V. Smagin, Nadezhda B. Sadovnikova, Elena A. Belyaeva and Christina V. Korchagina
Polymers 2023, 15(17), 3582; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15173582 - 29 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1062
Abstract
Quantification of the biodegradability of soil water superabsorbents is necessary for a reasonable prediction of their stability and functioning. A new methodological approach to assessing the biodegradability of these polymer materials has been implemented on the basis of PASCO (USA) instrumentation for continuous [...] Read more.
Quantification of the biodegradability of soil water superabsorbents is necessary for a reasonable prediction of their stability and functioning. A new methodological approach to assessing the biodegradability of these polymer materials has been implemented on the basis of PASCO (USA) instrumentation for continuous registration of kinetic CO2 emission curves in laboratory incubation experiments with various hydrogels, including the well-known trade brands Aquasorb, Zeba, and innovative Russian Aquapastus composites with an acrylic polymer matrix. Original kinetic models were proposed to describe different types of respiratory curves and calculate half-life indicators of the studied superabsorbents. Comparative analysis of the new approach with the assessment by biological oxygen demand revealed for the first time the significance of CO2 dissolution in the liquid phase of gel structures during their incubation. Experiments have shown a tenfold reduction in half-life up to 0.1–0.3 years for a priori non-biodegradable synthetic superabsorbents under the influence of compost extract. The incorporation of silver ions into Aquapastus innovative composites at a dose of 0.1% or 10 ppm in swollen gel structures effectively increases their stability, prolonging the half-life to 10 years and more, or almost twice the Western stability standard for polymer ameliorants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Soil in Agriculture and Urban Landscaping)
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12 pages, 3966 KiB  
Article
Weakly Cross-Linked Anionic Copolymers: Kinetics of Swelling and Water-Retaining Properties of Hydrogels
by Leonid Iliasov, Andrey Shibaev, Irina Panova, Petr Kushchev, Olga Philippova and Alexander Yaroslavov
Polymers 2023, 15(15), 3244; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15153244 - 30 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1370
Abstract
Six cross-linked copolymers consisting of sodium acrylate, N-acrylamide, starch fragments and a cross-linker were synthesized, potentially suitable for use in agriculture as superabsorbents. The copolymers had the same content of carboxyl groups equal to 6.2 mmoles per 1 g of copolymer and the [...] Read more.
Six cross-linked copolymers consisting of sodium acrylate, N-acrylamide, starch fragments and a cross-linker were synthesized, potentially suitable for use in agriculture as superabsorbents. The copolymers had the same content of carboxyl groups equal to 6.2 mmoles per 1 g of copolymer and the content of cross-linker (Q) varied from 0.04 up to 1 wt.%. The copolymers swelled in a pH 6.5 aqueous buffer solution thus giving hydrogel particles, which were characterized by a set of methods including gravimetry, rheometry, swelling pressure analysis, equilibrium centrifugation and water retention analysis with the following main conclusions. An increase in Q decreases the equilibrium degree of swelling. When swelling in a solid substrate, sand or soil, the equilibrium degree of swelling shows the maximum at Q = 0.14 wt.%. The cross-linking degree controls the swelling pressure of hydrogels and water-retaining properties of solid substrates with embedded hydrogels; in both cases, the maximum effects are observed at Q = 0.14 wt.%. These extreme dependences set the algorithm for synthesis of polymeric superabsorbents and optimization of their operational characteristics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Soil in Agriculture and Urban Landscaping)
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32 pages, 4955 KiB  
Article
Gel-Forming Soil Conditioners of Combined Action: Field Trials in Agriculture and Urban Landscaping
by Andrey V. Smagin, Nadezhda B. Sadovnikova, Elena A. Belyaeva, Victoria N. Krivtsova, Sergey A. Shoba and Marina V. Smagina
Polymers 2022, 14(23), 5131; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14235131 - 25 Nov 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2234
Abstract
The article summarizes multivariate field trials of gel-forming soil conditioners for agriculture and urban landscaping in various climatic conditions from arid (O.A.E., Uzbekistan) to humid (Moscow region, Russia). The field test program included environmental monitoring of weather data, temperature, water–air regimes, salinity, alkalinity, [...] Read more.
The article summarizes multivariate field trials of gel-forming soil conditioners for agriculture and urban landscaping in various climatic conditions from arid (O.A.E., Uzbekistan) to humid (Moscow region, Russia). The field test program included environmental monitoring of weather data, temperature, water–air regimes, salinity, alkalinity, and biological activity of various soils (sandy and loamy sandy Arenosols, Retisols, loamy Serozems), productivity and yield of plants (lawns, vegetables) and their quality, including pathogen infestation. The evolutionary line of polymer superabsorbents from radiation-crosslinked polyacrylamide (1995) to the patented “Aquapastus” material (2014–2020) with amphiphilic fillers and biocidal additives demonstrated not only success, but also the main problems of using hydrogels in soils (biodegradation, osmotic collapse, etc.), as well as their technological solutions. Along with innovative materials, our know-how consisted in the intelligent soil design of capillary barriers for water accumulation and antipathogenic and antielectrolyte protection of the rhizosphere. Gel-forming polymer conditioners and new technologies of their application increase the productivity of plant crops and the quality of biomass by 30–50%, with a 1.3–2-fold saving of water resources and reliable protection of the topsoil from pathogens and secondary salinization. The results can be useful to a wide range of specialists from chemical technologists to agronomists and landscapers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Soil in Agriculture and Urban Landscaping)
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38 pages, 5900 KiB  
Article
Gel-Forming Soil Conditioners of Combined Action: Laboratory Tests for Functionality and Stability
by Andrey V. Smagin, Viktor I. Budnikov, Nadezhda B. Sadovnikova, Anatoly V. Kirichenko, Elena A. Belyaeva and Victoria N. Krivtsova
Polymers 2022, 14(21), 4665; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214665 - 1 Nov 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2096
Abstract
The research analyzes technological properties and stability of innovative gel-forming polymeric materials for complex soil conditioning. These materials combine improvements in the water retention, dispersity, hydraulic properties, anti-erosion and anti-pathogenic protection of the soil along with a high resistance to negative environmental factors [...] Read more.
The research analyzes technological properties and stability of innovative gel-forming polymeric materials for complex soil conditioning. These materials combine improvements in the water retention, dispersity, hydraulic properties, anti-erosion and anti-pathogenic protection of the soil along with a high resistance to negative environmental factors (osmotic stress, compression in the pores, microbial biodegradation). Laboratory analysis was based on an original system of instrumental methods, new mathematical models, and the criteria and gradations of the quality of gels and their compositions with mineral soil substrates. The new materials have a technologically optimal degree of swelling (200–600 kg/kg in pure water and saline solutions with 1–3 g/L TDS), high values of surface energy (>130 kJ/kg), specific surface area (>600 m2/g), threshold of gel collapse (>80 mmol/L), half-life (>5 years), and a powerful fungicidal effect (EC50 biocides doses of 10–60 ppm). Due to these properties, the new gel-forming materials, in small doses of 0.1–0.3% increased the water retention and dispersity of sandy substrates to the level of loams, reduced the saturated hydraulic conductivity 20–140 times, suppressed the evaporation 2–4 times, and formed a windproof soil crust (strength up to 100 kPa). These new methodological developments and recommendations are useful for the complex laboratory testing of hydrogels in small (5–10 g) soil samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Soil in Agriculture and Urban Landscaping)
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14 pages, 2715 KiB  
Article
Autogenous Cross-Linking of Recycled Keratin from Poultry-Feather Waste to Hydrogels for Plant-Growth Media
by Markus Brenner and Oliver Weichold
Polymers 2021, 13(20), 3581; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13203581 - 17 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2560
Abstract
The global rise in atmospheric temperature is leading to an increasing spread of semi-arid and arid regions and is accompanied by a deterioration of arable land. Polymers can help in a number of ways, but they must not be a burden to the [...] Read more.
The global rise in atmospheric temperature is leading to an increasing spread of semi-arid and arid regions and is accompanied by a deterioration of arable land. Polymers can help in a number of ways, but they must not be a burden to the environment. In this context, we present herein a method by which goose feathers, representative of keratin waste in general, can be transformed into hydrogels for use as a plant growth medium. The treatment of shredded feathers in Na2S solution at ambient conditions dissolves approx. 80% of the keratin within 30 min. During evaporation, the thiol groups of cysteine reoxidise to disulphide bridges. Additionally, the protein chains form β-sheets. Both act as cross-links that enables the formation of gels. The drying conditions were found to be crucial as slower evaporation affords gels with higher degrees of swelling at the cost of reduced gel yields. The cress germination test indicated the absence of toxic substances in the gel, which strongly adheres to the roots. Thereby, the plants are protected from drought stress as long as the gel still contains moisture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Soil in Agriculture and Urban Landscaping)
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