Preparation of Carboxymethyl Cellulose-g-Poly (Acrylic Acid - 2-Acrylamido-2-Methylpropane Sulfonic Acid)/Attapulgite Superabsorbent Composite

An eco-friendly high-swelling superabsorbent composite CMC-g-poly(acrylic acid - 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid)/Attapulgite based on carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and inorganic clay Attapulgite (ATP) was prepared via a grafting copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS), using with N, N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a cross-linking agent, ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator and polyethylene glycol(PEG) as a phase transfer catalyst. The effects of polymerization conditions on the swelling ability of the superabsorbent composite were investigated. The results indicated that the prepared superabsorbent had high water absorbency. Saturated water absorbencies of the superabsorbent reached (864 g.g-1) for distilled water and (72 g.g-1) for 0.9 wt% NaCl aqueous solution respectively. The water absorbency of the composites was dependent on the pH of external solutions and used saline solutions.