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Advancements and challenges in controlled-release fertilisers: An approach to integrate biopolymer-based strategies
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This review examines controlled-release fertilizers, which are designed to deliver nutrients to plants gradually, and finds that many use synthetic polymer coatings that can leave microplastic residues in soil. The authors highlight biopolymers made from natural materials like chitosan, cellulose, and starch as promising alternatives that can biodegrade without contributing to plastic pollution. The shift toward biodegradable fertilizer coatings could help reduce a significant but often overlooked source of agricultural microplastic contamination.
It is essential to ensure a consistent supply of affordable, nutritious food to meet the demands of our rapidly growing population. In this context, controlled-release fertilisers (CRFs) have been developed to address the ongoing issues in nutrient use efficiency and global food insecurity. CRFs facilitate a gradual and targeted nutrient delivery system to promote optimal plant growth. Despite their significance, worldwide adoption is hindered by more substantial production costs, insufficient synchronisation with plant nutrient uptake, and environmental implications of synthetic polymer-based fertilisers. Various delivery systems, including coatings, matrices and hydrogels, have been developed for sustainable release. Nonetheless, a key challenge is their potential failure to degrade in soil, which can lead to secondary microplastic contamination and adverse effects on the soil environment. The subsequent sections explore technology, stability, the economy, and environment challenges. This review is a pioneering effort to comprehensively explore the challenges and limitations of controlled-release fertilisers. In addition, this review investigates emerging strategies to overcome the barriers, mainly focused on the potential of biopolymers as sustainable materials. Biopolymers offer several advantages, including biodegradability, tuneable release profile, and compatibility with current farming practices. This review aims to better understand emerging applications of biopolymers in CRFs, and trends are identified and analysed to provide insight for future work in precision farming practices. • CRFs are promising tool for sustainable agriculture, addressing challenges is crucial. • Fossil fuel-based CRFs cause microplastics accrual, pose persistent issue in farmland. • Novel biopolymer-based CRFs reduce carbon footprint and acts as soil conditioner. • Research must prioritise optimising biopolymer blends, cutting costs, and scalability.
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Biodegradable Alternatives to Synthetic Polymer Coatings in the Production of Controlled-Release Fertilizers
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Many fertilizers used today are coated in plastic to slowly release nutrients into soil, but that plastic doesn't fully break down—it builds up in farmland as microplastics that can eventually make their way into our food and water. This review paper looks at plant-based alternatives (made from things like starches, plant fibers, and biodegradable plastics) that could do the same job of slow-release feeding without leaving lasting plastic residue behind. The research suggests these greener coatings show real promise, though scientists still need to test how well they hold up in real farm conditions before they can replace plastic coatings at a large scale.
Engineering biodegradable coatings for sustainable fertilisers
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This review explored engineering biodegradable coatings for controlled-release fertilizers as sustainable alternatives to conventional plastic-coated products, addressing concerns about microplastic contamination from agricultural plastic films while maintaining effective nutrient delivery to crops.
Controlled-Release Fertilizers: Innovations, Challenges, and Practical Applications
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This review paper looks at "slow-release" fertilizers designed to feed crops more efficiently while cutting down on runoff that pollutes water supplies. The catch: many of these fertilizers are coated in plastic to control how nutrients release, and that coating can break down into microplastics that end up in soil, water, and potentially our food. The researchers highlight promising plant-based and biodegradable alternatives being developed, but note more work is needed before these safer options are ready for widespread farm use.
Techniques for encapsulating slow-release fertilizers using smart polymers: Towards controlled and sustainable release of plant nutrients: A review
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This review paper looks at "smart" fertilizer coatings that release plant nutrients slowly and only when crops need them, instead of dumping it all at once, a shift that could cut down on chemical runoff into rivers and groundwater. One catch worth noting: many of these coatings are made from plastic, which can break down into microplastics in soil, so the researchers highlight the need to switch to plant-based, biodegradable alternatives (like cellulose or chitosan) to keep this "smart farming" approach truly environmentally and food-chain safe.
Fully bio-based polyurethane coating for environmentally friendly controlled release fertilizer: Construction, degradation mechanism and effect on plant growth
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Researchers developed a fully bio-based polyurethane coating for controlled-release fertilizers using castor oil and a plant-derived chemical. Unlike conventional polyurethane coatings that persist in soil as microplastics, this coating showed strong biodegradability while still effectively controlling nutrient release. The study offers a practical solution to reduce microplastic accumulation in agricultural soils from fertilizer coatings.
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