Orbeez use in the lab

Orbeez are made from a non-toxic polymer-based superabsorbent hydrogel. They absorb somewhere between 200-400 times their own weight in water. Hydrogels are available in a powdered form too…they are the absorbent stuff in baby diapers. You definitely want hydrogel without color additives, don’t use rainbow colored balls. Ripping open a couple absorbent diapers will give you a large supply of the powder, without color. This stuff can be reused, it returns to its original form once the absorbed water evaporates out.

The little balls are a lot easier to work with. The powdered form, once hydrated, forms a congealed lump of slimy goo, and will not allow filtration, making it useful only when contained (like inside a long pencil-thin sachet). The ball form will also swell, but as long as you allow sufficient expansion space, they should still allow liquid flow, and the balls are easily filtered out. Look for clear water balls used as flower vase fillers, they don’t have any color additives.

I was thinking that these types of hydrogels could be useful in the lab. First, any liquid mixture that contains water, could have the water removed (or at least reduced), by adding a small amount of hydrogel. For example, diluted alcohol could be proofed up, without distillation.

Another possible use would be directly inside an extraction column, where any moisture coming from the biomass is absorbed, before hitting the collection pot. Because this stuff expands A LOT, it would need to be very loose, with lots of empty space.

I think that it might be possible to cure fresh cut biomass, in a closed container. Take a 5 gallon covered bucket, mix a lot of fresh biomass with a bunch of colorless hydrogel pellets, seal the cover and wait a couple days. The biomass should dessicate.

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Interesting…

Do you know their solubility in alcohols and alkanes?

Also any temperature ranges? If this is just a quick Google away just tell me to go spoon myself :wink:

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No, I have not run across that data.

However, these polymer are EXTREMELY hydrophilic, meaning highly polar. I would think that the non-polar solvents would not be absorbed at all. Alcohol is questionable, and would need to be tested. I suspect that some level of alcohol absorption would occur.

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Does this stuff adsorb water vapor at a decent rate?

The drying thing I can possibly see using, but I dunno if this stuff would adsorb humidity at a fast enough rate.

“hello Gerber? Yes, I have this baby, and it just happens to be made of heptane (crazy I know!) And ummm just wanted to make sure your diapers won’t react with our little bundle of joy”

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Absorption of humidity, and water vapor, is certain, but the speed is not. The little Orbeez balls take a couple hours to swell to their full size.

Like any absorbent, surface area is everything. The balls don’t expose a whole lot of surface area, so swell slowly. The powder form will absorb WAY BETTER, as any parent can attest, but it is so hard to handle.

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That’s the funniest shit I’ve read this week lol

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You could possibly build a small chamber under your material column using filter plates to keep either the powder, or the balls contained.? Then comes the question of how long to allow for proper absorption of the water molecules…

Since the hydrogels are non-toxic, I suggest a test.

Soak a couple clear pellets in a small amount of your favorite colored whiskey. See how long it takes for any noticeable swelling of the pellets. After removing the swollen orbs, check their color, to see if they grabbed anything besides water. Lastly, pop one in your mouth and chew it. This will let you discover if any alcohol was absorbed, you will taste it. Then spit out the jelly crap in your mouth.

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Wife: What are you doing?

Me: “Chewing on diapers”

Why?!

“Science”

And this will make us money?

“Yes, definitely”

“… well keep going I guess”

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I’ll slice a portable butt open right meow for schmience purposes & up it In some jack to apply the test. I ain’t putting it in my mouf doe.

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OMG…LMFAO…that is hilarious

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It’s actually hilarious to me cause I’ve thrown a diaper from 10 ft across my house trying to make a basket & the fucker split open, I was cleaning up little fluffy beads for weeks :joy:

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I really think that it would be best to use the balls. The stuff from the diaper will be troublesome.

If the clear “water orbs” come out with some color, it would indicate that more than water is inside. This could indicate that hydrogels also allow some water soluble compounds inside, and might be useful as a passive color remediation method. I say passive, because the orbs would require a soak vs. a quick pass.

Tasting a single orb sounds stupid, but would be harmless, and will tell you a lot. Rinse the orb with fresh plain water, before putting it into your mouth, to remove any exterior alcohol and residual taste.

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I think I actually have some orbez here hold up

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Got some bigger water crystals in some booze now. Not whiskey, but should work

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@tweedledew has me on the floor lol. Somehow I think the diaper chewing could be avoided with a proofing stick and balance

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Not backwoods enough for us

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Good idea. Something like this definitely would be helpful. My first suggestion was cement and my second was tapioca. This seems like a better idea than either of those.

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I mean I like tapioca I could get behind that

terpioca

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