Synthesis and Characterization of Urea Encapsulated with Chitosan/Acetic Acid Composite to Control N2 Release, Water Dissolution Rate, and Enhance Soil Degradation Rate
Author(s):
Ababu Girma Teshome
Journal:
Journal of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Technology
Abstract
Nitrogen is the most important nutrient for plants to grow effectively. Despite having a limited dispersion mechanism, urea contains the most nitrogen (46%) of any solid nitrogenous fertilizer. Urea is required to ensure that most plants get the nitrogen they need over their lifetimes. Various plants have different lifespans, so it's important to control the nitrogen release from urea. Using chitosan bio-composites, which are composed of renewable and biodegradable ingredients, granular urea fertilizer was encapsulated to create controlled release encapsulated urea (CREU).
In this work, urea was encapsulated using a biodegradable adhesive derived from a poly-condensation reaction between acetic acid and chitosan. This allowed for the regulation of nitrogen's rate of solubility in water as well as its breakdown in soil. Reaction temperatures of 140, 160, and 180 degrees Celsius, reaction durations of 2, 3, and 4 hrs, and chitosan to acetic acid mixing ratios of 5:1, 10:1, and 15:1 w/w were all employed for the condensation process. In terms of pH, release temperature, and release duration, the CREU's ideal nitrogen release property was evaluatedThe structural properties of the encapsulated and uncooked urea was determined by FTIR analysis. The kinetics of the release of nutrients from the different encapsulated urea were determined using the Kjeldahl method. When the medium's temperature rises and the amount of urea in the resulting acetic acid-grafted chitosan increases, the urea release rate increases; however, when the medium's pH rises, it decreases. As the grafting efficiency increased, the rate of acetic acid-grafted chitosan degradation reduced, and the results of the soil degradation test demonstrated that all of the CREUs were fully broken down in the soil.
The rates of soil degradation are significantly influenced by the amount of urea in the acetic acid-grafted chitosan. With appropriate correlation coefficients and release exponent (n) values for all CREUs between 0.45 and 0.89, the Korsmeyer-Peppas equation shows the best match among the four review kinetic model equations for the N2 release rate of CREUs in water. This suggests that for CREUs, anomalous transport (non-Fickian diffusion release) takes place.
Keywords:
Chitosan, Controlled Released Encapsulated Urea, Dissolution rate, Kinetics model, Nitrogen release rate