Nitrogen Pollution Impact and Remediation through Low Cost Starch Based Biodegradable polymers

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Materials Science
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Growing global population increases demand for food, water, and energy, driving fertilizer use.
• Nitrogenous fertilizers meet 48% of global food demand but contribute to reactive nitrogen pollution.
• Controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) mitigate nutrient leaching, but their release dynamics require further understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel coating material for urea fertilizer.
• To investigate the controlled release properties of urea coated with processed corn starch.
• To enhance fertilizer efficiency and minimize environmental impact.

Main Methods:

• Corn starch was thermally processed with urea and borate to create a gel-like coating material.
• Granular urea was coated with native and processed starch using a fluidized bed reactor.
• Thermal and mechanical properties of the starch coatings were analyzed, focusing on storage and loss moduli.

Main Results:

• Processed starch exhibited superior thermal and mechanical stability compared to native starch.
• The storage modulus of processed starch dominated its loss modulus, indicating enhanced structural integrity.
• Urea coated with processed starch demonstrated significantly prolonged release times compared to uncoated urea.

Conclusions:

• Thermally processed corn starch provides a stable and effective coating for urea.
• This coating technology offers a promising approach to controlled fertilizer release.
• The findings contribute to developing more sustainable agricultural practices by reducing nutrient loss.