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Synthesis and modification of slow-release fertilizers for sustainable agriculture and environment: a review

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Abstract

The ever-increasing population has pressurized the world to increase food production, which consequently resulted in intensive production and consumption of synthetic fertilizers. Fertilizers are the most essential elements to meet the increasing food demand and ensure food security. Besides increasing crop production, chemical fertilizers have adversely affected soil and environmental health. Specifically, imbalance and extensive utilization of urea fertilizers have enhanced greenhouse gas production and polluted the ground as well as surface water resources via volatilization, leaching, and eutrophication processes. Overall, utilization of the majority of chemical fertilizers resulted in huge economic losses and poses serious health hazards to the ecosystem. Approximately 80–90% of phosphorus and 40–70% of nitrogen are lost from applied chemical fertilizers. Therefore, slow-release fertilizers (SRFs) have been developed to enhance agricultural production with the least environmental and fiscal losses on a suitable and sustainable basis. Despite the progressive development of SRF fabrication, the widespread application of such fertilizers is uncommon and needs further investigation. Therefore, this review article aimed to discuss the types, synthesis techniques, and nutrient-release mechanisms of SRFs for sustainable agricultural production and environmental health. Furthermore, recent advances in SRF development including biochar-based SRF fabrication and the strategic use of nanotechnology in SRF synthesis have been reviewed and discussed. The application of SRFs is considered a green and environment-friendly technology, which provides the sustainable pathways for enhancing crop growth and quality. The SRFs improve the plant nutrition and minimize the environmental impacts of the conventional fertilizers by reducing the fertilizer losses along with reduced applications of irrigation. However, due to higher production costs, commercial manufacturing and widespread use of SRFs are still not common. Thus, the synthesis processes, types, environmental and agricultural impacts, application mechanisms, and future prospects of SRFs have been discussed in detail, specifically biochar-based SRFs and nanofertilizers have been elaborated in this review which are considered promising among the SRFs.

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Acknowledgements

I thank the Department of Plant Production Management, Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Saudi Arabia for supporting this research.

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  1. Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Riyadh, 11442, Saudi Arabia

    Mohammad M. Almutari

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MMA performed the literature search and interpretation of data and drafted the manuscript.

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Almutari, M.M. Synthesis and modification of slow-release fertilizers for sustainable agriculture and environment: a review. Arab J Geosci 16, 518 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11614-8

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