Investigation of properties of pollen cryogel from various pollen species

• Main Author: Siak, Choon Kit
• Other Authors: Cho Nam-Joon
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Engineering; Pollen; Cryogel; Characterisation; Compression mechanical properties; Water absorption capability; Surface morphology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/175630
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Sustainability has been a point of discussion over the past few years. Using sustainable biomaterials and biological materials as alternatives to traditional non-renewables is a widely sought after solution, and a favourable option for various applications. Moreover, with the abundance and widespread availability of pollen, along with the burgeoning need for clean and renewable energy sources, adding of value to pollen, a type of biomass, becomes a topic of consideration. This presents opportunities for exploration of different uses of pollen. The promising feasibility of the use of Lotus, Camellia, Poppy, and Sunflower pollen cryogels for different applications display indubitable potential for contribution in the field of sustainability. Characterisation of the Water Absorption Capabilities, surface morphologies, and the compression mechanical properties will be the pre-requisite to further investigations of the feasibility of other applications of pollen cryogels. Experiments thus far have shown optimistic results in their respective tests, with decent water absorption and mechanical properties. The energy consumption during the fabrication process have shown to be lower compared to pollen sponges. These results spell out the first step to greater sustainable materials with pollen cryogels.