Porous Silica Biofiber: A Reusable, Sustainable Fertilizer Reservoir

Nitrogen fertilizers, namely urea, are prone to leaching that causes inefficiency in crop production and environmental pollution; hence porous particles were explored for slow release. Nevertheless, discrete particles add cost; therefore, jute cellulose has been tested as twine to tether silica together for reusability. On the other hand, silica serves as an exoskeleton to give pore memory property to cellulose, which otherwise is susceptible to loss of porosity during irrigation. The composite shows ∼70% more absorption capacity in the fifth cycle than the fiber without silica coating. The urea release kinetics shows only <1/3 and 3/4 of urea release from the jute-silica composite compared to naked porous silica and cellulose, respectively. The slow and sustained release of fertilizer from the composite results in a continuous increase in the chlorophyll content in rice crops.