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Water availability during revegetation in arid regions from water-holding materials to water-harvesting materials: A review

Yinhao Liao,Lihong Zhou,Xiang Pei

Published 2025 in Sustainability in Environment

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT Ecological degradation has occurred in arid regions due to climate change and anthropogenic activities. Ecological restoration is based on vegetation restoration, but water scarcity is an important factor limiting vegetation restoration in arid regions. This review evaluates the role of biochar, superabsorbent polymers and atmospheric water-harvesting materials in soil moisture regulation. Biochar promotes agglomeration of soil particles and improves soil water retention by reducing soil porosity and hydraulic conductivity. Superabsorbent polymers can increase field capacity and available water by binding water molecules in a network structure through hydrophilic functional groups. Both biochar and superabsorbent polymers have been shown to promote vegetation growth in arid regions, but they are not effective in water-scarce environments. Atmospheric water-harvesting materials, which spontaneously collect water from the air, have been shown to sustain vegetation growth in the absence of irrigation and are therefore promising new materials for restoring vegetation in arid regions. However, further research is needed to overcome the problems of poor water-harvesting performance in low-humidity environments of atmospheric water-harvesting materials. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

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