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Soil Evaluation of Poly(isosorbide carbonate) Ammonolysis Products as a Nitrogen Fertilizer for Brassica rapa
Summary
Ammonolysis of the bio-based polycarbonate poly(isosorbide carbonate) produces urea and isosorbide, both of which proved effective nitrogen fertilizers for Brassica rapa in pot experiments, achieving nitrogen recovery efficiency comparable to commercial urea. This proof-of-concept demonstrates a circular use pathway for bio-based plastics where chemical degradation products re-enter agricultural systems rather than accumulating as environmental pollutants.
The effectiveness of poly(isosorbide carbonate) (PIC)—a bio-based polycarbonate synthesized from isosorbide (ISB)—degradation products in complex soil environments remains unverified. In the present study, the agricultural potential of PIC ammonolysis products—comprising urea and ISB—as a nitrogen (N) fertilizer was evaluated in a soil system. A pot experiment was conducted using komatsuna (Brassica rapa var. perviridis) to compare PIC degradation products with commercial urea, a urea and ISB mixture, and a no-N control. Application of PIC degradation products significantly enhanced plant growth, yielding fresh weight and N uptake comparable to those associated with commercial urea. The calculated N recovery efficiency for the PIC degradation products was 50%, falling within the typical range (30–60%) for inorganic fertilizers. Contrary to previous in vitro study results, ISB exhibited no significant biostimulant effect in the soil environment, likely owing to rapid microbial degradation. These findings serve as a preliminary proof-of-concept that PIC degradation products are a highly effective and bioavailable N source. Overall, the results suggest that if scaled appropriately, PIC ammonolysis products could contribute to circular use pathways for this specific plastic. Nonetheless, further studies across a broader range of crops and soils are required to confirm the generalizability of these results.