Biobased Superabsorbent Polymers for a cleaner future

This project is a cutting-edge initiative aimed at transforming the landscape of super absorbent polymer (SAP) use in hygiene and agriculture by advancing the development of fully biodegradable and renewable SAPs (bioSAPs), offering a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based SAPs that significantly contribute to environmental pollution, including long-term landfill waste and soil contamination associated with microplastics.

Background and context

Superabsorbent polymers are critical materials used in applications ranging from agriculture and horticulture to hygiene and climate-resilience technologies. However, most commercial materials are petroleum-derived, slow to degrade, and increasingly misaligned with growing environmental and regulatory pressures. They largely contribute to landfill volume, and over hundreds of years they break down into microplastics, polluting land, rivers, food and adversely affecting human health. There is therefore a clear need for high-performance absorbent materials that are biodegradable, scalable, and cost-competitive, without compromising functionality under real-world conditions such as load and salinity.

Project details and results

Through our Industrial Collaboration Programme, we supported A&B Smart Materials to work with scientists at the University of Warwick to support the development of biodegradable absorbant materials. The project validated and optimised a biodegradable absorbent polymer platform through the study of structure–property relationships and molecular characterisation, and it confirmed biodegradation and early-stage scale-up.

This was achieved through molecular design (synthesis, analysis and testing) supported by University of Warwick, and high-throughput AI-assisted optimisation provided by Reactwise, using targeted formulation development, analytical testing, and iterative optimisation. As a result, the project established increased and reproducible performance metrics, validated biodegradability, and demonstrated manufacturability beyond laboratory research scale.

The project overcame key challenges including balancing absorbent performance with biodegradation and translating laboratory formulations toward larger-scale production. These were addressed through iterative optimisation, expert guidance from academic collaborators, and the use of AI-assisted experimental planning to efficiently refine formulations.

Impact and next steps

Royce funding and support were instrumental in enabling access to advanced materials expertise, analytical capability, and collaborative research input. This support helped de-risk early technical development, enabled independent validation of material properties, and allowed the project to progress from proof-of-concept toward scalable materials development. The Royce network also facilitated engagement with experts in manufacturing and scale up, helping to optimise the materials for production at scale.

The outcomes of this project support the development of biodegradable absorbent materials that could reduce environmental persistence associated with conventional polymers. Potential future impacts include improved sustainability in agriculture and land management, reduced microplastic burden, and the creation of new UK-based advanced materials supply chains. The project might lead to a substantial reduction in the impact on environmental and human health, given the significant reduction in microplastic contamination. Furthermore, a circular economy in the super absorbents industry could be unlocked, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel-based products and bringing biosourced products into this market.

This work demonstrates how biodegradable materials can be engineered to deliver functional performance while meeting environmental objectives. By combining academic expertise, AI-enabled optimisation, and early-stage scale-up, the project exemplifies a modern, collaborative approach to materials innovation within the UK ecosystem.

Collaborators

The project benefited significantly from collaboration with the University of Warwick, whose expertise in polymer science supported detailed molecular characterisation, including gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis of selected biopolymers. Warwick researchers also provided specialist advice on polymer modification and manipulation, accelerating optimisation and improving confidence in structure-performance relationships.

In parallel, formulation optimisation was accelerated using an AI-driven experimental planning platform supplied by Reactwise. This enabled more efficient exploration of formulation space, reduced iteration time, and supported data-driven decision-making throughout the project. Together, these collaborations delivered faster results, deeper analytical insight, and a more robust technical outcome than would have been possible independently.