The Development of Hydrogel Polymer from Diapers Waste with The addition of Straw Nano Fibers as The Growing Media of Green Beans Plant

Abstract

The increase in diapers usage gives a serious contribution to environmental pollution. The hydrogel in diaper waste can be an alternative growing media. But, the growing media must have enough nutrition to fulfil the plant’s need. Therefore, some amounts of filler are necessary to be added to the growing media of diapers waste hydrogel. This research aimed to find out the characteristics of diapers waste hydrogel, the effect of adding straw nanofiber towards the release constant rate, and the growth of green beans. The hydrogel of diapers waste was loaded with various concentration (0%, 1%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) of straw nanofibres and dried at 40°C for 3 days. The results show the morphology of the diapers waste hydrogel surface more dense with the addition of straw nanofibres. The release rate constant value increased with the increasing of straw nanofiber content. In this research, it can be proved that diaper waste hydrogel can be developed as the growing media, especially for green bean plant.