Development of a new method for nutrients and contaminants quantification in fertilizers: New approach for LIBS technique

• Grant number: 13/02165-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: May 01, 2013
• End date: February 28, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Soil Science
• Principal Investigator: Débora Marcondes Bastos Pereira
• Grantee: Bruno Spolon Marangoni
• Host Institution: Embrapa Instrumentação Agropecuária. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA). Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Brasil). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 98/14270-8 - Center for Optical and Photonics Science, AP.CEPID

Abstract

The development of equipment that characterizes fertilizer samples with low cost is of national interest, because it allows the monitoring of national organic fertilizers production process, improving their quality. About 70% of the fertilizer used in Brazil is imported and comes from non-renewable sources. Most of these fertilizers do not include the exact concentration on the label, or even the presence of all nutrients and contaminants. The abuse, which occurs frequently in Brazil, can contaminate soil and food, hurting productivity. This proposal provides a characterization of fertilizer pellets with laboratory equipment using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The challenge of this proposal is to quantify concentration of macronutrients (P, K), micronutrients (Fe, Cu, Mn, Mo, B, Zn and Mg) and contaminants (Pb, Hg, Cr and Cd) present in fertilizers in a faster and more practical way in comparison with traditional techniques (ICP-OES and EDS). The next step is to build portable LIBS equipment, enabling the characterization of macro and micronutrients directly into the soil and fertilizers. Soil map using this equipment will bring enough information to enhance fertilizer use and minimize the problem. Since 30% of the wealth produced in Brazil comes from agribusiness, and also about 50% of the aggregate value of foods are inputs with fertilizers, an improvement in this important relationship would bring positive impact on the Brazilian economy.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MARANGONI, BRUNO S.; SILVA, KLEYDSON S. G.; NICOLODELLI, GUSTAVO; SENESI, GIORGIO S.; CABRAL, JADER S.; VILLAS-BOAS, PAULINO R.; SILVA, CAROLINE S.; TEIXEIRA, P. C.; NOGUEIRA, ANA RITA A.; BENITES, VINICIUS M.; et al. Phosphorus quantification in fertilizers using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS): a methodology of analysis to correct physical matrix effects. ANALYTICAL METHODS, v. 8, n. 1, p. 78-82, 2016. (13/02165-7)

SENESI, G. S.; ROMANO, R. A.; MARANGONI, B. S.; NICOLODELLI, G.; VILLAS-BOAS, P. R.; BENITES, V. M.; MILORI, D. M. B. P.. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Associated with Multivariate Analysis Applied to Discriminate Fertilizers of Different Nature. Journal of Applied Spectroscopy, v. 84, n. 5, p. 923-928, NOV 2017. (12/24349-0, 13/07276-1, 13/02165-7)