S. Mandal, D. Morales
Texas State University,
United States
Keywords: resource-efficient, fast deployment, health-protective, green technology
Summary:
Introduction Humans are constantly exposed to hazardous chemicals in water, air, food, and soil, posing serious health risks. Industrial activities, particularly textile dyeing, release persistent toxic dyes like Malachite Green (MG), Crystal Violet (CV), and Congo Red (CR), along with emerging pollutants such as pharmaceuticals and pesticides, threatening both ecosystems and public health. Developing efficient, eco-friendly solutions for contaminant removal is therefore critical. Biocompatible hydrogels from natural polymers have emerged as versatile, high-performance materials for environmental cleanup, biomedical use, and skin-safe absorption. Their 3D network structure enables rapid water uptake and efficient removal of dyes and emerging pollutants. Guar Gum (GG), a hydrophilic, biodegradable, and low-cost polysaccharide, is an ideal substrate for hydrogel fabrication. Our study presents a cost-effective, eco-friendly Guar Gum hydrogel with multifunctional features, rapid dye and emerging pollutant removal, self-healing, injectability, and skin-safe absorption, designed for fast deployment in environmental and biomedical applications, offering sustainable, user-friendly solutions that protect human health while promoting environmental safety. Objectives: • Rapid and facile synthesis of Guar Gum-based hydrogel (GG). • Evaluation of its efficiency in removing industrial dyes & other emerging pollutants. Investigation of its injectable properties for potential biomedical use. • Application as a skin-safe absorbent • Assessment of self-healing capability for long-term performance. A biocompatible, safe superabsorbent polymer (SAP) was successfully fabricated using Guar Gum and the renewable crosslinker alginate. The hydrogel exhibited remarkable swelling behavior, with a swelling index of 665 g/g, demonstrating its ability to retain significant volumes of liquid. In absorption tests, the GG-based SAP absorbed 1 ml of artificial urine within just 15 minutes, highlighting its rapid uptake efficiency, which is critical for applications such as Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHPs). The hydrogel showed excellent performance in dye remediation experiments. It effectively removed Malachite Green from aqueous solutions, confirming its potential for mitigating industrial dye pollution. Furthermore, the hydrogel displayed self-healing properties, allowing it to maintain structural integrity after mechanical damage, and injectable behavior, which opens avenues for biomedical applications such as controlled drug delivery. A life cycle study of GG-SAP and conventional diapers confirmed its biodegradable nature, reducing reliance on non-recyclable synthetic polymers. Compared to traditional polymer-based SAPs, the Guar Gum hydrogel reduces energy and water consumption, minimizes raw material usage, and decreases landfill burden, making it a sustainable alternative. The development of Guar Gum-based hydrogels tackles key challenges in environmental safety, public health, and sustainable materials. These biodegradable, high-performance absorbents reduce pollution, limit exposure to toxic industrial dyes, and support human health. Intellectually, the study showcases a novel integration of natural polymers and renewable crosslinkers to create multifunctional hydrogels with high swelling capacity, rapid contaminant uptake, self-healing, and injectability, outperforming conventional synthetic SAPs and enabling applications in both environmental remediation and biomedicine. Broader impacts include energy and water savings, reduced landfill waste, and sustainable alternatives to non-recyclable hygiene products. By harnessing abundant natural gums, this technology aligns with green chemistry principles and provides scalable, high-impact solutions for agriculture, healthcare, and industrial stakeholders.