Anionic polyacrylamides – soil conditioners

Jozef Kollár
Polymeric soil conditioners, were known since the 1950s.
These polymers were developed to improve the physical properties of soil in view of:
 increasing their water holding capacity
 increasing water use efficiency
 enhancing soil permeability and infiltration rates
 reducing irrigation frequency
 stopping erosion and water runoff
 reduce fertilizer and pesticides losses
Wide commercial application failed even though the scientific basis for
their use was quite well established.
Reasons:
 most of the studies with polymers were performed in the laboratory
without consideration for the economics at the production level in large
scale agriculture
 complexity of application and poor distribution in the soil
The most commonly used water-soluble synthetic soil-conditioning polymers
included:

O * * *
n * n * n
* n * *
OH COOR CONH2

poly(ethylene glycol) poly(vinyl alcohol) polyacrylates polyacrylamide

* n m * * *
n
CO2CH3 O O O
O O
O
poly(maleic anhydride-co-vinyl acetate) poly(isobutylene maleic anhydride)
 Gel forming polymers

Gel forming polymers or insoluble water absorbing polymers were first

introduced for agricultural use in the early 1980’s. These polymers do not
possess linear chain structures as described previously but the chains are rather
crosslinked to form a three dimensional network.

Advantages
 Great water absorbing properties
 Amount of crosslinker influenced a mechanical properties of hydrogels
 Reduce water stress of plants
 Hydrogels are also claimed to reduce fertilizer leaching
Polyacrylamide (PAM) is one of the most widely employed soil conditioner

Advantages
*
 Low toxicity * n

 Safe H2N O

 Inexpensive PAM
 Relatively stable

More recently, polyelectrolytes such as acrylamide/acrylate copolymers have

attracted much attention as they have been shown to be most effective in
improving the properties of soils.

*
* n m

H2N O O O
poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid)
 PAM as soil conditioner

 Reduce surface sealing

 Increase seedling emergence

 Reduce runoff and erosion

 Reduce fertilizer and pesticides losses

The adsorption of PAM to soil particles depends

on both the polymer and the soil properties.
PAM differ with respect to molecular weight,
charge density and charge type.
Principle of adhering PAM
molecule to soil particles
 Polyacrylamide Types

Granular

Emulsion

Solid
PAM can be used in furrow or sprinkler irrigation

furrow irrigation sprinkler irrigation

 PAM in furrow and sprinkler irrigation

 Reduces soil loss

 Prevent the loss of nutrients

 Increase infiltration
PAM treated furrow Untreated furrow
 Improvement of aggregate stability following irrigation following irrigation

 Increase quality of soil as well as water

 Synthesis of poly(acrylamide-co-tulipalin) hydrogels with crosslinker BIS

α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone also known as Tulipalin A, is present in

white tulips and is identified as a substance with fungitoxic activity.

OH

OH
O O NH2
*
+ * n m

O O Na+ O
+
H2N O O O Na
 Swelling capacity in water

dry hydrogel swollen hydogel

 Swelling capacity in water
400

350

300
Degree of swelling

AM/TUL 80/20 1%
250
AM/TUL 80/20 1.5%
AM/TUL 60/40 1%
200 AM/TUL 60/40 1.5%
AM/TUL 40/60 1%
150 AM/TUL 40/60 1.5%

100

50

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Time [min]
 Rheology of hydrogels
Rheology is study of deformation and flow of material

prediction of viscoelastic properties of polymers.

1.00E+05
Elastic modulus (Pa)

AM/TUL 80/20
1.00E+04
1%
AM/TUL 80/20
1.5%
AM/TUL 40/60
1%
AM/TUL 40/60
1.5%

1.00E+03
0.1 1 10 100 1000

angular frequency (rad/s)