Open Access

ARTICLE

Preparation and Characterization of Hydrogel Materials Based on the Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Enteromorpha prolifera

by Jiangyi Zhou, Bin Cao, Sivakumar Esakkimuthu, Mao Mu^*, Shuang Wang^*

School of Energy and Power Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

* Corresponding Authors: Mao Mu. Email: ; Shuang Wang. Email:

Journal of Renewable Materials 2024, 12(12), 2069-2078. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2024.054905

Received 11 June 2024; Accepted 21 October 2024; Issue published 20 December 2024

Abstract

Seaweed, as a third generation of biomass energy, has significant potential to replace non-renewable fossil fuels. Among various conversion technologies, hydrothermal liquefaction can effectively convert seaweed into bio-oil. However, most current research on hydrothermal liquefaction products focuses on the oil phase and solid phase, with little attention given to the utilization of the aqueous phase by-product. In this study, the large seaweed Enteromorpha prolifera was selected as the raw material. The aqueous phase containing organic components was prepared through hydrothermal liquefaction at different temperatures, which was then mixed with the polymer polyvinyl alcohol to produce high-value chemical hydrogels. Furthermore, the hydrogels were salted out with Fe³⁺ to explore its influence on the degree of crosslinking. The results show that the mechanical properties of the hydrogel are optimal when the hydrothermal temperature is 160°C, with a maximum fracture stress of 0.55 MPa. After salting-out treatment, the mechanical strength of the hydrogel was further enhanced, with the maximum breaking stress increment by 1.3 times (1.26 MPa). This indicates that the process of adding the aqueous phase to the hydrogel has research potential, and Fe³⁺ can further strengthen the crosslinking process. The results of the present study will provide new insights and methods for aqueous phase valorization.

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Keywords

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