Using Super Absorbent Gel

Long description

Globalization has affected people’s consumption of solid materials, which has eventually resulted in huge solid wastes which if not properly managed, becomes an environmental hazard. Increased use of disposable diapers in Kenya today has strained the solid waste management sector because the most prevalent method of getting rid of soiled diapers is disposing them together with household garbage and end up in landfills. This project is sought to solve two problems; Firstly, solid waste management which is an environmental issue by re-using the used absorbent gel from pampers, therefore elongating their lives. This will help in recovering resources thus saving on what would have been used to make commercial polymers for the agro-sector. Secondly, food security as the use of recycled adsorbent in agriculture can increase water holding capacity of soil thereby boosting productivity. The method used involved, obtaining the absorbent from the used diapers, washing them in clean running water followed by drying them in a solar drier and oven. The absorbents were then weighed in proportions of 2.5g.5.0g, and 7.5g and mixed with equal proportions of soil . The mixture was then stressed with water to help retain soil moisture and growing bean seeds on them Water retention abilities were then analysed on a weekly basis by weighing the samples. The results were: recovery of absorbent gel from used diapers, elongated lifetime of the used absorbent gel and increased soil moisture retention in the different samples depending on the amount of absorbent used.

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