Eco-friendly coatings composed of lignosulfonate-modified biopolymer and vegetable waxes for nitrogenous fertilizers

Abstract

Fertilizer coatings are considered mandatory to protect the physical quality of fertilizer granules. They continue to be developed due to compliance with novel fertilizer types and, most importantly, future environmental and animal-plant health regulations. As known, bio-based contents are sustainable and eco-friendly compared to petroleum-based materials. However, many types of coatings are commonly composed of unsustainable, costly, and can be ecologically toxic, such as paraffin or mineral oil. This article presents a comparative research study to provide eco-friendly anticaking coatings composed of lignosulfonate-modified biopolymer and vegetable waxes instead of conventional coatings. This research mainly aims to find alternative ingredients instead of a petroleum-derivatives in conventional coatings. According to the results, an anticaking coating containing lignosulfonate-modified biopolymer improved the granule structure of calcium ammonium nitrate fertilizer. It showed the best anticaking performance compared to other coating types. Vegetable-based coatings, on the other hand, gave results in appropriate intervals, especially at low concentrations, and showed a valuable way to develop better versions in future studies. As a result, it is seen that biopolymers can replace paraffin-based products.