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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Environmental sustainability of future fertilizers: tradeoffs between ammonia volatilization and nitrate leaching for 11 enhanced efficiency fertilizers
ClearEnvironmental sustainability of future fertilizers: tradeoffs between ammonia volatilization and nitrate leaching for 11 enhanced efficiency fertilizers
Researchers stress-tested 11 enhanced efficiency fertilizers under greenhouse conditions and found significant performance tradeoffs between reducing ammonia volatilization and nitrate leaching. Six fertilizers performed well across both measures, including two inhibitor-based products and four polymer-coated formulations. The study notes that polymer coatings on fertilizers, including those made from biodegradable plastics like PLA, can themselves become sources of microplastics in agricultural soils.
Environmental sustainability of future fertilizers: tradeoffs between ammonia volatilization and nitrate leaching for 11 enhanced efficiency fertilizers
Researchers stress-tested 11 enhanced efficiency fertilizers under controlled greenhouse conditions to compare their performance in reducing ammonia volatilization and nitrate leaching. They found strong performance tradeoffs among products, with six fertilizers performing well across both measures, including polymer-coated formulations. The study notes that polymer coatings used in fertilizer technology, including biodegradable options like PLA, represent a potential source of microplastic contamination in agricultural soils.
Generation Characteristics of Micro Plastics from Different Types of Coated Controlled-Release Fertilizer Films
Researchers conducted soil incubation experiments simulating five years of continuous application of three polymer-coated controlled-release fertilizers to characterize microplastic generation from their degrading coating films. The study found that the polymer coating type significantly affected both fertilizer release characteristics and microplastic production, with changes in soil nitrogen fractions and electrical conductivity influencing the rate of membrane shell degradation and subsequent plastic particle release.
Evaluating novel biodegradable polymer matrix fertilizers for nitrogen‐efficient agriculture
Researchers designed and evaluated biodegradable polymer matrix fertilizers for nitrogen-efficient agriculture, testing their performance in simulated tropical conditions and finding improved nitrogen retention compared to conventional fertilizers, though with some trade-offs in release kinetics.
Biodegradation of microplastics derived from controlled release fertilizer coating: Selective microbial colonization and metabolism in plastisphere
Scientists studied how microplastics from fertilizer coatings break down in soil over more than two years, finding that polyethylene degraded the most (nearly 17% weight loss) while producing secondary microplastic fragments and chemical byproducts. Specific bacteria and fungi colonized the plastic surfaces, forming biofilms that helped break down the material. This research shows that coated fertilizers are a direct source of microplastic pollution in farmland, where the breakdown products could enter crops and groundwater.
Analysis of Slow-Released Fertilisers as a Source of Microplastics
Analysis of slow-release fertilisers coated with polymer shells found that these products can release microplastics into agricultural soils as the coatings degrade. Two major manufacturers' products showed varying polymer compositions and differing abilities to adsorb soil contaminants, raising concerns about MP accumulation from fertiliser use.
Quantification and identification of microplastics in organic fertilizers: the implication for the manufacture and safe application
Researchers measured microplastic contamination in 23 commercial organic fertilizers, finding widespread presence at levels that could meaningfully contribute to agricultural soil pollution when fertilizers are applied. The results raise concerns about organic fertilizers as an underappreciated pathway for microplastics entering farm soils and the food system.
Advancements and challenges in controlled-release fertilisers: An approach to integrate biopolymer-based strategies
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.
Engineering biodegradable coatings for sustainable fertilisers
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.
Mechanisms of microplastic generation from polymer-coated controlled-release fertilizers (PC-CRFs)
This study investigated how the plastic coatings on slow-release fertilizers break down and release microplastics into soil. Significantly more microplastic particles were released in soil conditions than in water alone, and wet-dry cycles accelerated the breakdown, meaning agricultural soils receiving these fertilizers may be accumulating substantial amounts of microplastic pollution.
Advances in Controlled Release Fertilizers: Cost‐Effective Coating Techniques and Smart Stimuli‐Responsive Hydrogels
This review examines advances in controlled release fertilizer technology, focusing on cost-effective coating techniques and smart hydrogels that release nutrients in response to environmental conditions. Researchers found that while these technologies improve nutrient efficiency and reduce environmental pollution from fertilizer runoff, the coatings themselves can introduce microplastic contamination into soils. The study calls for development of fully biodegradable coating materials that deliver the benefits of controlled release without adding to plastic pollution in agricultural lands.
A comparative assessment of polymer-coated and non-coated urea in direct-seeded rice: agronomic, economic, and environmental performance and sensitivity analysis
A field and modeling study in Japan compared polymer-coated urea (slow-release fertilizer wrapped in plastic capsules) with conventional urea, finding that despite the plastic pollution cost of the capsules, the coated fertilizer had a lower overall environmental cost because it reduced nitrogen runoff losses. However, the authors note that the environmental cost of microplastic pollution from the capsules is highly uncertain because the ecological harm of agricultural microplastics is still poorly understood. If alternative low-loss nitrogen application methods achieving over 50% nitrogen recovery can be developed, they could replace coated urea without the plastic pollution trade-off.
A new tool to screen biodegradable polymers as technically and commercially viable fertiliser coatings
Researchers developed a screening tool to evaluate biodegradable polymers against technical and commercial viability criteria, enabling manufacturers and regulators to assess whether proposed biodegradable materials will genuinely perform as advertised in real-world disposal environments.
Exposure assessment of plastics, phthalate plasticizers and their transformation products in diverse bio-based fertilizers
Researchers tested bio-based fertilizers made from different organic wastes and found they all contained microplastics and phthalate plasticizers (chemicals added to make plastics flexible). Fertilizers made from sewage sludge had the highest levels of contamination, and the processing methods only partially reduced the chemical pollutants. This means that using these fertilizers on farmland could be introducing microplastics and hormone-disrupting chemicals into agricultural soils and potentially into our food.
Unraveling consequences of soil micro- and nano-plastic pollution on soil-plant system: Implications for nitrogen (N) cycling and soil microbial activity
This review examines how micro- and nano-plastics affect soil microbial activity and nitrogen cycling in agricultural ecosystems, finding mixed effects that depend on polymer type and size. The authors highlight concerns about biodegradable plastics posing greater risks to plant growth than conventional plastics, complicating the assumption that biodegradable options are always safer.
The effects of microplastics on crop variation depend on polymer types and their interactions with soil nutrient availability and weed competition
Researchers investigated how different types of microplastics interact with soil nutrient availability and weed competition to affect crop growth. The study found that the effects of microplastics on plant performance depend on the polymer type and are modulated by fertilization levels and competition from weeds, suggesting that real-world agricultural impacts of microplastic pollution may be more complex than laboratory studies indicate.
A risk assessment framework for fragmenting (micro-)plastics. A case study for polymer coated fertilizers in soil
Researchers developed a risk assessment framework specifically for fragmenting microplastics from polymer-coated fertilizers in agricultural soils, incorporating fragmentation dynamics and bioavailable particle fractions. The framework found that current environmental concentrations of PCF-derived microplastics approach hazardous levels for some soil organisms.
Polyester microplastic fibers in soil increase nitrogen loss via leaching and decrease plant biomass production and N uptake
Researchers found that polyester microplastic fibers in soil increased nitrogen loss via leaching by up to 300% while decreasing plant biomass production and nitrogen uptake in maize, demonstrating significant disruption to agroecosystem nutrient cycling.
Risks of microplastics from polyurethane and polyethylene-polycarbonate coated fertilizers to soil-crop system
Microplastics derived from polyurethane and polyethylene-polycarbonate coated fertilizers significantly reduced tomato seed germination rates (by 12–22%) and inhibited early seedling growth, while also altering soil enzyme activity in ways that could affect long-term soil health.
Effects of microplastics exposure on soil inorganic nitrogen: A comprehensive synthesis
Meta-analysis of 216 observations from 47 studies showed microplastics exposure significantly reduced soil nitrate concentration by 7.89% overall, but had no significant effect on ammonium. Microplastic polymer type was the strongest predictor of nitrate effects, and exposure above 27C actually enhanced soil nitrate, highlighting a concerning interaction with global warming.
Runoff and accumulation of microplastics derived from polymer-coated fertilizer in Japanese paddy fields
Researchers investigated how polymer-coated fertilizers widely used in Japanese rice farming release microplastic shell fragments into paddy fields and surrounding waterways. The study found that between 61 and 100 percent of the fertilizer coating fragments run off from fields, and estimates suggest this is a meaningful source of agricultural microplastic pollution across Japan.
Short-term effects of polyethene and polypropylene microplastics on soil phosphorus and nitrogen availability
Researchers examined the short-term effects of polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics on soil nutrient cycling, finding that these particles can alter the availability of phosphorus and nitrogen depending on microplastic size and fertilization conditions.
The Structural and Functional Responses of Rhizosphere Bacteria to Biodegradable Microplastics in the Presence of Biofertilizers
Researchers studied how biodegradable microplastics interact with biofertilizers in crop soils and found that even though biodegradable plastics are designed as greener alternatives, they still significantly altered soil bacterial communities and disrupted carbon metabolism pathways. The findings suggest that biodegradable microplastics may affect soil health differently than conventional plastics, but are not necessarily harmless.
Effects of nanopolystyrene addition on nitrogen fertilizer fate, gaseous loss of N from the soil, and soil microbial community composition
Researchers found that nanopolystyrene particles added to agricultural soil disrupted nitrogen cycling by altering microbial community composition and increasing gaseous nitrogen losses, potentially reducing fertilizer efficiency and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions in agroecosystems.