3.7 Protein–Polysaccharide Hybrid Foams with Enhanced Liquid Retention for Sustainable Absorbents
- Yuhong Zhang
- Researcher,
- KTH
- Co-author(s): Athanasios Latras, Antonio Capezza
- Supervisor (PhD-students/postdocs):
- In the hygiene industry, single-use disposable sanitary products represent a rapidly growing market. Conventional absorbents mainly rely on petroleum-derived superabsorbent polymers, which provide great liquid absorption and retention performance but contribute to carbon emissions and persistent plastic waste. Bio-based protein foams derived from industrial side-stream proteins have therefore emerged as a promising, biodegradable, and sustainable alternative. However, enhancing their liquid retention under realistic mechanical load conditions remains a key challenge for replacing fossil-based absorbents. In this work, a protein–polysaccharide hybrid foam is investigated to enhance liquid retention through structure–property design. Porous foams were prepared from industrial side-stream proteins using an oven expansion process. Three types of polysaccharide hydrogels were incorporated separately into different protein matrices at varying ratios to form an interpenetrating network within the porous structure. Upon swelling, the hydrophilic polysaccharides form three-dimensional hydrogel networks that enhance water binding and liquid immobilization. The hybrid foams were evaluated for liquid absorption and retention using free swelling capacity (FSC), centrifuge retention capacity (CRC), and absorption under load (AUL). Microstructure was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while mechanical recovery was assessed through compression set (CS) measurements. Molecular interactions and polysaccharide characteristics were also examined. The results show that optimized incorporation of polysaccharide hydrogels significantly improves liquid retention under load compared to neat protein foams, without compromising structural integrity or elastic recovery. These findings demonstrate the potential of protein–polysaccharide hybrid porous materials as sustainable bio-absorbents for hygiene applications.
- Time of presentation: 11.30