via Food Engineering
The “Green Revolution” of the ’60s and ’70s has been credited with helping to feed billions around the world, with fertilizers being one of the key drivers spurring the agricultural boom. But in developing countries, the cost of fertilizer remains relatively high and can limit food production. Now researchers report in the journal ACS Nano a simple way to make a benign, more efficient fertilizer that could contribute to a second food revolution.
Farmers often use urea, a rich source of nitrogen, as fertilizer. Its flaw, however, is that it breaks down quickly in wet soil and forms ammonia. The ammonia is washed away, creating a major environmental issue as it leads to eutrophication of water ways and ultimately enters the atmosphere as nitrogen dioxide, the main greenhouse gas associated with agriculture. This fast decomposition also limits the amount of nitrogen that can get absorbed by crop roots and requires farmers to apply more fertilizer to boost production. However, in low-income regions where populations continue to grow and the food supply is unstable, the cost of fertilizer can hinder additional applications and cripple crop yields. Nilwala Kottegoda, Veranja Karunaratne, Gehan Amaratunga and colleagues wanted to find a way to slow the breakdown of urea and make one application of fertilizer last longer.
To do this, the researchers developed a simple and scalable method for coating hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles with urea molecules. HA is a mineral found in human and animal tissues and is considered to be environmentally friendly. In water, the hybridization of the HA nanoparticles and urea slowly released nitrogen, 12 times slower than urea by itself. Initial field tests on rice farms showed that the HA-urea nanohybrid lowered the need for fertilizer by one-half. The researchers say their development could help contribute to a new green revolution to help feed the world’s continuously growing population and also improve the environmental sustainability of agriculture.
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The Latest on: Nanoparticle fertilizer
Nanoparticle fertilizer could contribute to new 'green revolution' - Phys.Org
January 25, 2017 - Nanoparticle fertilizer could contribute to new 'green revolution' Phys.OrgThe "Green Revolution" of the '60s and '70s has been credited with helping to feed billions around the world, with fertilizers being one of the key drivers spurring ...
Nanoparticle fertilisers show promise | Research - Chemistry World
April 4, 2018 - Nanoparticle fertilisers show promise | Research Chemistry WorldA nanocomposite fertiliser developed by US researchers has been shown to outperform conventional fertilisers, having a greater effect on plant growth with less ...Using zinc oxide nanoparticles as fertilizers - Phys.Org
October 11, 2017 - Using zinc oxide nanoparticles as fertilizers Phys.OrgResearchers from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and National Institute for Agricultural Research and Experimentation (INIA) have studied the effects ...
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Global Voices: Are your habits harming marine life? - Canada.com
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Nanoparticles That Help Crops Absorb Fertilizers - Asian Scientist Magazine
February 7, 2017 - Nanoparticles That Help Crops Absorb Fertilizers Asian Scientist MagazineA nanoparticle-based fertilizer could help feed the world's growing population by halving the amount of fertilizer required.Nanoparticles could help rescue malnourished crops - Science News
May 17, 2018 - Nanoparticles could help rescue malnourished crops Science NewsNanoparticles normally used to fight cancer could also be used to treat malnourished crops.Slow-release nitrogen fertilizer could increase crop yields - Chemical & Engineering News
February 22, 2017 - Slow-release nitrogen fertilizer could increase crop yields Chemical & Engineering NewsNitrogen fertilizers—used to grow crops around the globe—have a problem. After they're applied to soil, more than three-quarters of their nutrients get washed ...- September 2, 2015 - UD researchers identify behaviors of nanoparticle that shows promise as nanofertilizer University of Delaware11:31 a.m., Sept. 2, 2015--Researchers at the University of Delaware have discovered unique behaviors of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HANPs) that show ...
New fertilizers based on metal nanoparticles expected to produce macro-harvests - MINING.com
November 13, 2017 - New fertilizers based on metal nanoparticles expected to produce macro-harvests MINING.comRussian scientists have developed a new generation of innovative fertilizers that, they say, are capable of increasing crop productivity by 25 per cent.
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The Latest on: Nanoparticle fertilizer
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- Nanoparticle fertilizer could contribute to new ‘green revolution’ on February 8, 2019 at 7:03 am
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- Nanoparticle fertilizer could contribute to new ‘green revolution’ on January 25, 2019 at 9:44 am
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- Slow-release nitrogen fertilizer could increase crop yields on February 22, 2017 at 5:28 am
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