Reuse of hydrogels from disposable diapers to enhance seedling development of Caatinga species

Pereira, Danielle Costa; Pinheiro, Francisco Delleon Pereira; Magalhães Júnior, Guilherme Augusto; Silva, Maria Amanda Menezes

doi:10.1590/S1413-415220240074

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Scientific Paper • Eng. Sanit. Ambient. 30 • 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/S1413-415220240074 linkcopy

Reuse of hydrogels from disposable diapers to enhance seedling development of Caatinga species

Reutilização de hidrogéis de fraldas descartáveis para potencializar o desenvolvimento de mudas de espécies da caatinga

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

Disposable diapers, a common waste produced on a large scale, contain superabsorbent polymers (hydrogel) that can retain large quantities of water and dispose of it gradually. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of hydrogel usage from used disposable diapers on the production of Libidibia ferrea, Mimosa caesalpiniifolia, and Poincianella pyramidalis seedlings. To prepare the hydrogel, the diapers were washed and dried in an oven at 80°C for 12 h. The substrate consisted of 8 kg of soil mass per sample unit, with 70% soil and 30% cured cattle manure. In total, four treatments were carried out with five replications: with hydrogel and daily irrigation (CH_ID); with hydrogel and irrigation every 4 days (CH_I4D); no hydrogel and daily irrigation (SH_ID); and no hydrogel and irrigation every 4 days (SH_I4D). The experiment lasted 3 months, during which the height and diameter of the seedlings were measured monthly, along with other parameters such as the number of leaves (NF), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), stem dry matter content (SDMC), root system dry matter content (SRDMC and PRDMC), the primary root length (PRL), and Dickson Quality Index (DQI). The results indicated that the addition of reused hydrogel enhanced the height and diameter of the plants. Regarding biomass, there was an increase in NF, SRDMC, and RL for L. ferrea, LDMC and RL for M. caesalpiniifolia, and NF and LDMC for P. pyramidalis. The M. caesalpiniifolia and P. pyramidalis seedlings exhibited higher quality (DQI of 1.65 and 3.54, respectively), particularly in the CH_I4D treatment. Based on these findings, the use of reused hydrogel is recommended for producing high-quality seedlings in water-deficit situations.

Keywords:
solid waste; hydrogel; water scarcity; native species

		H-1	H-2	H-3/MH	Dia-1	Dia-2	Dia-3/MD
L. ferrea	CH_ID	20.8^c	62^b	107.2^Aa	1.76^b	3.62^a	4.78^Aa
	CH_I4D	16.4^c	54^b	90.4^Aa	1.80^c	3.46^b	5.02^Aa
	SH_ID	19.4^b	66.2^a	91^Aa	1.80^c	3.52^b	4.68^Aa
	SH_I4D	18.2^c	58^b	84.6^Aa	1.66^c	3.30^b	4.82^Aa
M. caesalpiniifolia	CH_ID	11.8^c	36^b	68.2^Aa	0.92^c	3.36^b	5.64^Aa
	CH_I4D	9.4^b	22.6^b	31.2^Aa	0.94^c	2.84^b	3.94^Aa
	SH_ID	12.6^b	33.6^a	62^Aa	1.1^b	3.56^a	5.82^Aa
	SH_I4D	9.8^c	27.2^b	67.6^Aa	0.9^c	2.8^b	6.2^Aa
P. pyramidalis	CH_ID	12.2^b	17^a	26.8^Aa	2.22^b	3.24^a	4.9^Aa
	CH_I4D	7.9^c	11.8^b	17.6^Aa	1.54^b	1.82^b	2.4^Ba
	SH_ID	13.8^c	16.8^b	18.4^Aa	2.14^c	3.06^b	4.28^Aa
	SH_I4D	8.6^c	9.78^b	13.7^Ba	1.5^c	1.82^b	2.26^Ba

		Nf	DMCL	DMCPR	DMCSR	DMCW	RL	DQI
L. ferrea	CH_ID	29^a	0.3095^a	0.5763^a	0.1861^b	0.4879^a	13.4^b	1.11^a
	CH_I4D	34.6^a	0.3183^a	0.5289^a	0.3339ª	0.4701^a	18.1^a	1.02^a
	SH_ID	30.2^a	0.3245^a	0.5961^a	0.2085^b	0.5058^a	15.5^b	1.12^a
	SH_I4D	21.6^b	0.3166^a	0.4167^a	0.3086ª	0.4957^a	17.8^a	1.43^a
M. caesalpiniifolia	CH_ID	16.4^a	0.2893^b	0.4262^a	0.1762^a	0.3845^a	13.4^b	1.24^b
	CH_I4D	15.4^a	0.3676^a	0.3700^a	0.1827^a	0.4384^a	25.5^b	1.65^a
	SH_ID	26^a	0.3417^b	0.3658^a	0.1709^a	0.3790^a	14.5^a	1.48^b
	SH_I4D	13^a	0.3863^a	0.4068^a	0.2428^a	0.3690^a	28.4^a	1.34^b
P. pyramidalis	CH_ID	12.4^a	0.1354^a	0.5765^a	0.3226^a	0.5426^a	16.2^a	1.07^d
	CH_I4D	6.4^b	1.8355^b	0.5545^a	0.2300^a	0.5178^a	17.2^a	3.54^a
	SH_ID	8.4^b	0.4581^b	0.4698^a	0.2974^a	0.7197^a	21.9^a	2.12^b
	SH_I4D	4.8^b	0.3709^b	0.5436^a	0.2783^a	0.4902^a	20.9^a	1.35^c

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Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental - ABES Av. Beira Mar, 216 - 13º Andar - Castelo, 20021-060 Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brasil - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
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[TFN1] CH_ID: With hydrogel and daily irrigation; CH_I4D: With hydrogel and irrigation every 4 days; SH_ID: Without hydrogel and daily irrigation; SH_I4D: Without hydrogel and irrigation every 4 days; H_1: Height at 30 days; H_2: Height at 60 days; H_3: Height at 90 days; MH: Maximum height; DIA_1: Diameter at 30 days; DIA_2: Diameter at 60 days; DIA_3: Diameter at 90 days; MD: Maximum diameter. Superscript lowercase letters indicate statistical similarity for height and diameter over months within each treatment. Superscript uppercase letters indicate similarity of maximum height and diameter obtained for the species in different treatments.