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From Kitchen to Conservation: Evaluating Cornstarch as an Alternative to Commercial Hydrogel for Soil Water Retention

CSEF · 2026 Earth & Environmental Sciences (Junior Division)

Benjamin Gonzalez

Overview

The purpose of this project was to evaluate whether hydrogel made from cornstarch could reduce water loss in soil at an amount comparable to commercial hydrogel, and thus be used as an effective home alternative to conserve water. To test this, water loss in soil was measured and compared over a 10 day period between two groups with 4 concurrent trials: Hydrogel group (containing a mixture of soil plus cornstarch hydrogel) and Control group (containing only soil). My hypothesis was that hydrogel made from cornstarch reduces water loss in soil, and thus can be used as an effective home alternative to commercial hydrogel for the purpose of conserving water. The findings of my experiment supported my hypothesis and showed that the Hydrogel group saved an average of 45.26% more moisture over the test period than the Control group, which was comparable to commercial hydrogel tested in a previous study.

Competition history

  • CSEF 2026 Earth & Environmental Sciences (Junior Division) · Entry J-08-30

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