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Organic acid and amino acid coated multi-nutrient fertilizer granules (MNFG): synthesis and characterization

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Abstract

Organic and amino acids are used as coating material in developing controlled release fertilizers (CRF) due to their low cost and favorable properties that effectively controls the nutrient release rate. In this study, fertilizer grades of gypsum, ferrous sulphate, zinc sulphate, copper sulphate and borax were used to prepare multi-nutrient fertilizer granules (MNFG). Five different polymers, namely citric acid (CA), humic acid (HA), fulvic acid (FA), salicylic acid (SA) and glycine (GY), were used in various concentrations (0,3,5 & 10% w/v) for fabricating coated MNFG by spraying. The fabricated MNFGs were characterized for particle size distribution (PSD), single grain weight, bulk density, solubility, moisture content, structural stability, crushing strength, pH, EC and elemental analysis, FTIR and surface properties through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The physico-chemical properties of coated MNFG were strongly influenced by coating materials and their concentrations. The MNFG coated with 10% fulvic acid was found to be structurally stable with moderate crushing strength. However, the MNFG coated with 10% salicylic acid had high bulk density (0.95 Mg m−3), low solubility (70 g L−1) and moisture content (0.50%). The uncoated MNFG has lesser bulk density (0.80 Mg m−3), higher solubility (260 g L−1) and moisture content (2.04%). The SEM analysis revealed that, coated MNFG has smooth surface and tiny pores compared to uncoated MNFG. This newly developed organic acids and amino acids coated MNFG could be a potential fertilizer with controlled release properties for achieving higher crop productivity.

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Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore for providing facilities to carryout the research work.

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The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other financial support was received for carrying out the research works.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641003, India

    Rukmani Narayanasamy, Chitdeshwari Thiyagarajan & Malarvizhi Palaniappa Pillai

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu,, 641003, India

    Maheswari Muthunalliappan

  3. Department of Renewable Energy Engineering, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641003, India

    Karthikeyan Subburamu

  4. Department of Nano Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641003, India

    Marimuthu Subramanian

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  1. Rukmani Narayanasamy
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Narayanasamy, R., Thiyagarajan, C., Pillai, M.P. et al. Organic acid and amino acid coated multi-nutrient fertilizer granules (MNFG): synthesis and characterization. Polym. Bull. 80, 11343–11362 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-022-04596-2

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