Biowaste to Hydrogels: A Sustainable Solution for Waste Reduction with Potential Applications
Abstract
The exponential growth of the human population leads to a high demand for goods and services. The increased need for food and other essential materials for daily life has driven industrial intensification and agricultural expansion. However, the rise in production comes with a significant spike in waste generation, ultimately leading to substantial environmental impacts. The gravity of the waste problem has reached its peak, there is an urgent need for innovative and sustainable waste management. The recycling of waste material into useful products is a highly discussed area of research, and the transformation of them into hydrogels has gained wide attention because of the remarkable properties of hydrogels and the resultant effective waste management. Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks of polymers that can absorb large amounts of water while maintaining their structure. Hydrogels have applications in various fields including agriculture, biomedical, personal hygiene products, food packaging, etc. In this review, we focus on the preparation of hydrogels from various waste materials such as crop waste, food waste, industrial waste, animal derived wastes, and vegetables and fruit derived wastes. This review highlights the studies of hydrogel preparation starting with these waste materials as the main source and explores their properties and application in various fields.