Chitosan-Sugarcane Bagasse Microspheres as Fertilizer Delivery: On/Off Water Availability System

• Published in: Journal of polymers and the environment Vol. 28; no. 11; pp. 2977 - 2987
• Main Authors: dos Santos Pereira, Tamires, França, Débora, Souza, Claudinei Fonseca, Faez, Roselena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-11-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Bagasse; Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chitosan; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology; Environmental impact; Evaluation; Fertilizers; Fourier analysis; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Infrared analysis; Materials Science; Microspheres; Moisture content; Nutrient release; Original Paper; Polymer Sciences; Potassium nitrate; Scanning electron microscopy; Soil water; Soils; Sugarcane; Thermal properties; Thermodynamic properties; Thermogravimetric analysis; Water availability; Water content; KNO; Enhanced efficiency fertilizer; Time domain reflectometry; Safety agriculture
• ISSN: 1566-2543; 1572-8919
• DOI: 10.1007/s10924-020-01827-3

Enhanced efficiency fertilizer is a sustainable alternative to increase agricultural productivity. In this regard, the nutrient coating or encapsulation is one of the alternatives to improve the effectiveness of the fertilizer. Several matrices can be used, but predominantly the biodegradable ones, which have no environmental impacts. Chitosan has favorable characteristics, as biodegradation and harmless impacts on the soil, to use as a holder for fertilizers. In this work, microspheres of chitosan and sugarcane bagasse were prepared by the inversion phase method followed by potassium nitrate (KNO
3
) fertilizer sorption. The structural, morphological and thermal properties were evaluated by Fourier transformed infrared, (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XDR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) before and after release evaluation. The release profile of fertilizer ions was assessed in water and soil. The matrices served only as support for KNO
3
and no chemical interaction was observed. KNO
3
releasing behavior reached a plateau after one hour of test for all samples. The release process generated cavities on the surface of microspheres since these spaces were previously fulfilled with fertilizer as observed by SEM. However, in the soil, the materials were dependent on the amount of water available and we observed a diffusion process for the nutrient release.
Graphic Abstract