A research team affiliated with the Laboratory of Polymeric Materials and Biosorbents at the Federal University of So Carlos (UFS Car) in Araras, So Paulo state, Brazil, has produced and is testingcellulose-based materials for enhanced-efficiency fertilization.
Roselena Faez is a professor at the center for agricultural sciences. Two publications have reported on the findings. One of the articles was written by Débora Frana. The researchers describe how they used modified nanocellulose to discharge the nutrients into the soil in a controlled way.
Potassium is quickly washed away by the rain. It's difficult to let go in a controlled way. Plants get the nitrogen they need most easily from nitrate, which is easy to wash away and doesn't stay in the soil for long. Faez, who coordinates the Polymeric Materials and Biosorbents Research Group at UFS Car Araras, said thatphosphate is a large ion and less mobile than the other macronutrients.
She said that most of the controlled-release products on the market are synthetic. Grains of sea salt are about the size offertilizer grains. To make sure the nutrients are released slowly, they're coated with layers of polymer that last about two months each, so the manufacturer applies two, three or four coats, according to the desired length of time for controlled release
The chemical reaction between the modified nanocellulose and mineral salts kept the nutrition in the soil. The worst problems are nitrate and potassium. The material we developed is completely natural and releases the same amount of vitamins and minerals as the synthetic material.
The paper factory gave the purecellulose to be used in the film. Positive and negative charges were used to functionalize thenanofibrils. "Because the salts are made up of positively or negatively charged particles and highlysoluble, we hypothesised that negatively charged nanocellulose would interact with negative ion in the salts, reducing the solubility of the salts." Frana said that this proved to be the case, and that the group succeeded in releasing nutrients in accordance with the type of particles in the material.
Evaluations in the soil.
In order to evaluate the performance of the product, the group fabricated it in tablets. Evaluation of release into water is the usual method. This part of the research was done in partnership with a professor from Araras.
The material at the site was evaluated for 100 days. Faez said that they used poor soil because it allowed them to see the effects of release more easily.
The researchers used two techniques to get the tablets, atomization and spray drying, followed by heat processing of the powder, which was pressed in a mold. The work was completed with the help of colleagues at the Cellulose and Wood Materials Laboratory belonging to the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology. Frana worked at EMPA while she was an intern.
Fertilization is self-fertilization.
The second article by the group was published in the journal Industrial Crops and Products. The goal of the study was to modify the structure of sugarcane bagasse with a surface negative charge to allow the release of potassium. The delivery of plant nutrition would be slowed by the creation of surface anionic charges that bind to the macro and micronutrients.
The group prepared three different types of structure with the phosphorylatedcellulose: oven-dried paper-like film, spray-dried powder, and freeze-dried porous bulk. The voids left by water removal were left with the help of freeze drying.
The paper structure was the best material for controlled delivery. The paper can be used to create several products.
The group was able to develop small propagation pots thanks to the research done by Messa. The material is released when it degrades The price of the end product is relatively low according to Faez. BRL 0.27 per gram of paper is what it is. The propagation pot needs to be less than a gram. The unit cost is about BRL 0.30.
There are propagation pots on the market. Our product has a built in advantage. We have filed a patent application.
A flower producer is going to trial the pot. There are several batches that have been shipped there. The only thing that has been tested is in water. "We call this an accelerated ion release assessment method because it's faster in water, but even in water we found the release rate to be 40%- 50% slower compared with the behavior of the ion in the material and without the material" We were able to retain these ion in water. She said that they assumed delivery would be even slower in the substrates.
Messa was working as a research intern at the University of California Davis.
More information: Débora França et al, Charged-cellulose nanofibrils as a nutrient carrier in biodegradable polymers for enhanced efficiency fertilizers, Carbohydrate Polymers (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119934Sugarcane bagasse is derived from phosphorylated Cellulose and is used as a base for the release of potassium. There is an article titled "indcrop.2022.115350".
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