title: Preparation of biodegradable xanthan-glycerol hydrogel, foam, film, aerogel and xerogel at room temperature.
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.
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental, Earth, and Space Studies, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN 56601, USA. Electronic address: dbilanovic@bemidjistate.edu.
authors.forename: Dragoljub
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bilanovic
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: Jeanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Starosvetsky
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Armon
mesh_terms: D005990:Glycerol / Q000737:chemistry; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000592:standards; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D005990:Glycerol; C002563:xanthan gum
keywords: Aerogel; Film; Foam; Hydrogel; Xanthan-Glycerol