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Unveiling the Solubilization of Potassium Mineral Rocks in Organic Acids for Application as K-Fertilizer

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Abstract

Organic acids produced by soil microorganisms can be useful to promote the release of potassium (K) from potassium mineral rocks (KR), but the complexity of low reactivity minerals limits K solubilization and their use as fertilizer. Here, we investigate the ways that different organic acids (gluconic, oxalic, and citric) can affect the solubilization of potassium minerals, in order to propose process strategies to improve their solubility. For this, evaluations were performed using the model minerals KRpolyhalite (sedimentary mineral), KRfeldspar (igneous mineral), and KCl (commercial fertilizer). For KCl and KRpolyhalite, complete solubilization was achieved using all the organic acids, while for KRfeldspar, the highest K+ solubilization (34.86 mg L−1) was achieved with oxalic acid. The solubility of KRfeldspar was further investigated under submerged cultivation with the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger, as well as after a mechanochemical grinding treatment. The biotechnological route resulted in solubilized K up to 63.2 mg L−1. The mechanochemical route, on the other hand, increased the release of K by about 8.6 times (993 mg L−1) compared to the natural mineral, due to the greater fragmentation of the particles after the treatment (with a surface area about 2.5 times higher than for the in natura KRfeldspar). These findings demonstrated the potential of applying biotechnological and mechanochemical routes with organic acids to improve the solubilization of K present in low reactivity mineral rocks, indicating the possible use of these minerals in more sustainable agricultural practices.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Agronano Network (Embrapa Research Network), the Agroenergy Laboratory, and the National Nanotechnology Laboratory for Agribusiness (LNNA) for the provision of institutional support and facilities. The graphical schemes are from Servier Medical Art (https://smart.servier.com), licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License Agreement (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

Funding

Financial support for this work was provided by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Finance Code 001, grant #88887.360866/2019–00), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP, grants #2016/10.636–8 and #2020/03259–9), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, grant #130491/2019–5).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório Nacional de Nanotecnologia Para o Agronegócio (LNNA), Embrapa Instrumentação, Rua 15 de Novembro, 1452, Centro, SP, 13561-206, São Carlos, Brazil

    Ludimila A. Lodi, Rodrigo Klaic, Ricardo Bortoletto-Santos, Caue Ribeiro & Cristiane S. Farinas

  2. Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Engenharia Química, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Rodovia Washington Luiz, km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil

    Ludimila A. Lodi, Rodrigo Klaic & Cristiane S. Farinas

  3. Instituto de Química, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Avenida Professor Francisco Degni, 55, Jardim Quitandinha, SP, 14800-060, Araraquara, Brazil

    Ricardo Bortoletto-Santos

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  1. Ludimila A. Lodi
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  2. Rodrigo Klaic
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  4. Caue Ribeiro
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Contributions

Ludimila A. Lodi: writing—review and editing; conceptualization; methodology; data curation; formal analysis; investigation; roles/writing—original draft. Rodrigo Klaic: writing—review and editing; conceptualization; data curation; formal analysis; roles/writing—original draft. Ricardo Bortoletto-Santos: writing—review and editing; formal analysis; roles/writing—original draft. Caue Ribeiro: writing—review and editing; funding acquisition; supervision. Cristiane S. Farinas: writing—review and editing; conceptualization; funding acquisition; supervision.

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Correspondence to Cristiane S. Farinas.

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Lodi, L.A., Klaic, R., Bortoletto-Santos, R. et al. Unveiling the Solubilization of Potassium Mineral Rocks in Organic Acids for Application as K-Fertilizer. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 194, 2431–2447 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-022-03826-7

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