The study of cellulose-based hydrogels arises from the pressing need for sustainable materials. However, the weak mechanical and biodegradation properties of cellulose hydrogels necessitate the need of other materials to overcome this problem. Therefore, this study aims to enhance the mechanical properties extending the biodegradation period of cellulose hydrogels by using epichlorohydrin (ECH) as a chemical crosslinking agent and garlic extract as an antibacterial material. It was found that a 10% ECH crosslinking concentration provided highest percentage of water absorption which is 656.05%, making the 10% ECH the optimal percentage to combine with garlic extract. At 10%, garlic extract concentration had a greater inhibitory effect on biodegradation with a lowest weight percentage value of 34.27% and high water absorption value exceeding similar to 500%. Therefore, the modified cellulose-based hydrogels can be used in applications involving the water usage and water retention for long-term purposes which is that refers in this experiment to the how long the hydrogel can remain effective in the soil, such as for agricultural applications.
