ie0c00403_si_001.pdf (689.27 kB)
Engineered Phosphate Fertilizers with Dual-Release Properties
journal contribution
posted on 2020-03-23, 20:29 authored by Shervin Kabiri, Ivan B. Andelkovic, Rodrigo C. da Silva, Fien Degryse, Roslyn Baird, Ehsan Tavakkoli, Dusan Losic, Michael J. McLaughlinA new
strategy to produce phosphate (P) fertilizers with both fast
and slowly soluble P by the compaction method to produce composite
products is presented. This unique composition is created by combining
monoammonium phosphate (MAP) as a highly soluble P nutrient source,
with a commercially available slow-release P such as struvite (Str)
or P-loaded graphene oxide (GO). Graphene oxide-loaded P was synthesized
by in situ oxidation of GO and ferrous ion (GO-Fe) mixtures with hydrogen
peroxide and further loading of P onto the GO-Fe composite. The nutrient
release in water was studied for dual-release MAP-Str and MAP-GO-Fe-P
and compared to their corresponding slow- and fast-release sources.
Column perfusion experiments showed a biphasic dissolution behavior
with no significant difference between MAP-GO-Fe-P and MAP-Str. Visualization
of P diffusion and chemical analysis of the soil after diffusion were
used to assess the diffusion of P from different P fertilizers in
various types of soil. Runoff and leaching simulations were performed
to investigate the effects of the prepared fertilizer formulations
on the environment. Overall, the diffusion of the dual-release fertilizers
and the P loss in runoff and leaching experiments were less than for
MAP. The better environmental performance of the dual-release fertilizers
compared to MAP was related to the specific properties of the GO-based
materials such as their two-dimensional structure and to the low solubility
of the Str in the case of Str-based fertilizers.