Superabsorbent Hydrogels Derived from Unpurified Sargassum Biomass via Direct Carboxymethylation and Crosslinking

The atypical proliferation of Sargassum (Sargassum spp.) in the tropical Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea over the past decade has triggered an unprecedented environmental and socioeconomic crisis along the Mexican coastline. Continuous beaching events of this macroalga on the Riviera Maya have caused coastal ecosystem degradation, severe impacts on the tourism sector, toxic gas emissions during decomposition, and high cleanup costs. To address this challenge, the valorization of Sargassum as a raw material for synthesizing functional materials represents a sustainable management strategy. In this study, a superabsorbent hydrogel was developed from Sargassum biomass (collected in Cancún, Quintana Roo, in 2025) using an innovative process that bypasses the conventional cellulose isolation step. The biomass was subjected to high-energy milling (15 and 30 min) to prepare Sargassum powder, which was subsequently carboxymethylated using monochloroacetic acid. This modified biomass was then crosslinked with citric acid, a process evaluated at three different citric acid/carboxymethylated Sargassum mass ratios. The hydrogel synthesized with the lowest crosslinking agent ratio achieved a maximum water absorption capacity of 1160 wt%, a value that exceeds the typical absorption capacities of 700–900% for biopolymer hydrogels. Successful material formation was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which revealed the characteristic functional groups of CMC and the ester bonds formed during crosslinking. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed a well-defined porous structure with pore sizes ranging from 8.5 to 19.5 µm, which is essential for its high absorption performance. This study demonstrates the feasibility of producing high performance hydrogels from Sargassum through a simplified, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly process. These findings open a promising avenue for the integrated management of this problematic biomass, transforming it into value-added materials with potential applications in agriculture, hygiene, and environmental remediation.