Composite Superabsorbent Hydrogel of Acrylic Copolymer and Eggshell: Effect of Biofiller Addition

Eggshell (ES) is an abundant waste material which is mainly composed of calcium carbonate. A superabsorbent hydrogel composite based on poly(acrylamide-co-potassium acrylate) as matrix containing 17 wt.% of chicken ES powder as a filler was synthesized and compared with the gel without filler. The characterization was carried out by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), rheological analysis and kinetics studies. The dispersion of ES in the polymeric matrix w...