evidence that the sponges could absorb PBS up to 30 times its weight. Such high fluid uptake ability of sponges was correlated to the hydrophilic compounds of sponges, i.e., macroalgal polysaccharide and gelatin, which possess a high number of hydrophilic groups in their structure, like amine and hydroxyl groups, which can be easily hydrated. In addition, the high porosity of sponges produced (as shown in Fig. 2B) can also contribute to the higher swelling profile