AccScience Publishing / AJWEP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/AJWEP025440340
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Development of a municipal sludge-based water-retaining material for soil improvement and plant growth

Yanfeng He1 ,  Qiao Li1 ,  Jiuxian Yang1 ,  Wenyou Wu1 ,  Jiyuan Jin1 ,  Yipeng Wang1 ,  Dongdong Ge2,3*
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1 Powerchina Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
2 School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Jiangsu University of Technology, Changzhou, Jiangsu, China
3 Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recovery, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
AJWEP, 025440340 https://doi.org/10.36922/AJWEP025440340
Received: 28 October 2025 | Revised: 24 November 2025 | Accepted: 27 November 2025 | Published online: 24 December 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Crop production is threatened by both water scarcity and poor soil water retention in arid or semi-arid regions. At the same time, the industrial-scale accumulation of municipal sludge creates substantial environmental and resource pressures. The goal of this work was to recycle municipal sludge into a low-cost, environmentally friendly, and multifunctional sludge-based water-retaining material (SBWRM) for enhancing soil water retention capacity and nutritional status. Sludge was used as the primary raw material, and extracellular polymeric substances were extracted using a combined alkaline ultrasonic method. These extracts were then mixed with polyvinyl alcohol to prepare the sludge-based material. The water retention capacity of the material, as well as its effects on seed germination and plant growth in a planting substrate, were systematically evaluated. The results suggested that the SBWRM achieved a maximum water retention capacity of 18.7 times its own weight. The addition of 40% SBWRM effectively promoted ryegrass seed germination and plant height, increased soil moisture and pH value, and enhanced the nutrient contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. The findings indicate that SBWRM can effectively enhance water conservation, soil quality, and nutrient supply, thereby providing a practical approach for utilizing sludge resources and supporting ecological restoration in agricultural systems.

Keywords
Sludge-based water-retaining material
Extracellular polymeric substances
Soil improvement
Plant growth
Water retention
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22306078), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20230714), and the Natural Science Research of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (23KJB610006).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Six authors are employees of POWERCHINA Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited, and one author is affiliated with academic institutions. No commercial or financial relationships influenced the conduct of this research.
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Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, Electronic ISSN: 1875-8568 Print ISSN: 0972-9860, Published by AccScience Publishing
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