Abstract
Utilisation of fertilizer and water are very important in determining the production of agriculture nowadays. The excessive use of fertilizer in plantation somehow could leads to environmental pollution. The present study reported a synthesis of controlled release water retention (CRWR) fertilizer coating with superabsorbent polymer (SAPs). Superabsorbent polymer (SAPs) are polymers that have ability to absorb and retain large amounts of water relative to their own mass. The presence of coating layer of SAPs on fertilizer granules was believed could reduce excessive used of fertilizer by controlling their dissolution rates and also reduce the environmental pollution. In this study, the effect on the addition of carbonaceous filler in SAPs on the water absorbency was also be compared with control SAPs (without carbonaceous particles). In this study, the carbonaceous filler were obtained from pyrolysis process of empty fruit bunch (EFB) biomass. The synthesized of SAPs and carbonaceous-SAPs were carried out via solution polymerization technique by using monomer of poly(acrylic acid) (AA), acrylamide (AM), cross linker, methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) and initiator, ammonium peroxodisulfate (APS) that partially neutralized with sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The CRWR fertilizer was later be prepared by coated the fertilizer granule with SAPs and carbonaceous-SAPs. The water absorbency, morphology and the bonding formation of both CRWR fertilizer were investigated by using tea-beg method, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR), respectively. Moreover, the water retention studies was conducted in order to investigate the efficiency of CRWR coated with SAP and carbonaceous-SAP in retaining the water content in different soil (organic and top soil). Based on the results, the CRWR fertilizer that was coated with carbonaceous-SAP had higher water absorbency value than the CRWR fertilizer without carbonaceous-SAP. Meanwhile, 1 wt % CRWR fertilizer in organic soil gave higher water retention ability compared with 1 wt % CRWR fertilizer in top soil. In conclusion, CRWR fertilizer coated with carbonaceous filler gave a significant influence on the water absorbency and in controlling the nutrients release rate as well as function as water retention in soil.
Highlights
The agriculture sector plays an important role in economic development, uplifting rural incomes and help in ensuring national food security [1]
The single coated of controlled release water retention (CRWR) fertilizer has been successfully synthesized via solution polymerization method
The presence of hydrophilic carbonaceous particles increased the water absorbency of the sample results in higher water absorbency of CRWR fertilizer coated with carbonaceous-SAPs
Summary
The agriculture sector plays an important role in economic development, uplifting rural incomes and help in ensuring national food security [1]. In order to increase the production, excessive fertilizers are normally were practiced in agricultural activities in order to fulfill and the required nutrients as it will subsequently affect the quality of yield [2] This practice is not efficient as not all the nutrients from these fertilizers will be absorbed by the plant because it will be washed or leached out during rain [3]. The pyrolysis process requires less of the supplied fuel than traditional combustion This present study reported the pyrolysis process of biochar, solution polymerization process of SAPs and carbonaceous-SAPs to be coated as CRWR fertilizer, and influence of these coating materials on the water absorbency, release behavior and water retention properties of the CRWR fertilizer in different types of soils
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