Summary:

This study presents the analysis of basic properties of selected superabsor-bents. The main objective was to determine the real absorption level, which is cru-cial for the accurate selection of such dosage of superabsorbent that would result in expected increase in crops and would be cost efficient at the same time. The in-fluence of grain size distribution, type of superabsorbent, temperature and the presence of ions in the water on the volume of absorption and the course of the absorption processwere determined,. in order to supplement the information pro-vided by manufacturers and authors of scientific publications. Due to the wide range of applications of superabsorbents there are no accurate data on their properties for specific applications. For the analyzed Aquasorb superabsorbents (3005 KS, KM and KL) the best absorption results were achieved for medium grain sizes, not for small grain sizes as stated by the manufacturer, due to the formation of clumps that prevented small particles to heave quickly - some of the particles trapped inside such clumps could participate in the absorption process only to a limited extent.
The tests conducted in demineralized water with superabsorbents of a similar grain size distribution but different chemical composition - Aquaterra and Aquasorb 3005 KM - showed that Aquaterra has a lower absorption capacity of approx. 250 gg-1 compared to approx. 370 gg-1 for Aquasorb 3005 KM. The obtained values conform to the values declared by manufacturers.It was confirmed that some ions can significantly reduce the absorption ca-pacity of superabsorbents. The authors conducted the analysis in a 1% solution of Florovit fertilizer (influence of monovalent ions) and in tap water (influence of bi- and trivalent ions). The influence of temperature on the absorption capacity is no-ticeable only in the initial phase of study.The study was conducted as part of the project „Water sorbing geocom-posites - innovative technologies supporting plants vegetation", conducted within the Operational Programme Innovative Economy co-financed by the Euro-pean Union from the European Regional Development Fund.