Posted by In the quest for greener materials, scientists are turning their attention to an unlikely hero — hydrogels, those soft, water-filled networks more often found in medical devices or cosmetics. A new review published in Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy highlights how these spongy materials could play a starring role in building a more sustainable future.
The study, titled “Eco-hydrogels: The new frontier of sustainability” by Alessio Ballarano and colleagues at the University of Turin and the University of Murcia, takes a deep dive into how hydrogels made from natural, renewable sources can replace their synthetic, fossil-based counterparts — without sacrificing performance.
Hydrogels are essentially three-dimensional polymer networks that can hold huge amounts of water while remaining solid. They’re used everywhere — in wound dressings, agriculture, drug delivery systems, and even diapers. But most commercial hydrogels are still made from petroleum-derived materials that don’t break down easily and can leave behind harmful residues.
That’s where eco-hydrogels come in. These are hydrogels built from bio-based ingredients like cellulose, starch, chitosan, or alginate — all derived from plants, algae, or even waste biomass. The review explains how such materials are biodegradable, non-toxic, and renewable, ticking all the boxes for green chemistry.
Still, the path to large-scale adoption isn’t simple. The authors point out a few stubborn obstacles: poor mechanical strength, inconsistent biodegradation rates, and a lack of standardized sustainability metrics. Many natural hydrogels, while eco-friendly, can be too weak or unstable for industrial use.
To overcome these issues, researchers are developing hybrid hydrogels that combine natural and synthetic polymers, offering the best of both worlds — the strength and durability of synthetic materials with the biodegradability of natural ones. There’s also growing interest in bio-inspired crosslinking methods, such as using enzymes or plant-derived molecules instead of toxic chemical agents to hold the polymer network together.
Another promising area is life-cycle assessment (LCA) — a systematic way to measure a material’s total environmental footprint, from raw material extraction to disposal. Integrating LCA into hydrogel research could help scientists identify truly sustainable designs rather than simply “green-looking” ones.
As the authors note, the global hydrogel market is booming, helping industries from medicine to agriculture reduce waste and water consumption.
You can read the full review here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scp.2025.102223
This post was written by Adrián Matencio and Gjylije Hoti. The authors used ChatGPT to improve the English level of the same.