Cellulose Microbeads: Toward the Controlled Release of Nutrients to Plants

Author(s)

Feresin Gomes, Marcos Henrique ; Callaghan, Ciaran ; Sipano Mendes, Antonio Cesar ; Edler, Karen J. ; Mattia, Davide ; de Jong van Lier, Quirijn ; Pereira de Carvalho, Hudson Wallace

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ACS AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY; v. 2, n. 2, p. 9-pg., 2022-04-18.

Abstract

The use of conventional fertilizers is associated with pollution due to leaching and a mismatch between release rates and crop requirements for optimal development. Slow-release fertilizers could address both problems. Here, the synthesis and properties of a zinc fertilizer composed of cellulose microbeads loaded with aqueous ZnSO4 are reported for the first time. UV-vis spectrophotometry showed that the beads immersed in water released all Zn2+ in about 30 min, regardless of the initial Zn2+ concentration. In two sandy substrates (a pure sand and a sandy loam substrate), microprobe X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy determined Zn2+ release from beads to the substrate corresponding to count rates of about 0.115 mm min(-1) s(-1), irrespective of the substrate and with a low sensitivity for the water content, except in a very dry range. These results indicate that these microbeads could represent a practical and sustainable solution for efficient nutrient supply in agriculture. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/13401-7 - X-ray spectroscopy unfolding the effects of glyphosate on soybean manganese foliar uptake
• Grantee: Bianca de Almeida Machado
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 15/19121-8 - Multi-User Equipment approved in grant 2015/05942-0: micro X-Ray Fluorescence system
• Grantee: Hudson Wallace Pereira de Carvalho
• Support Opportunities: Multi-user Equipment Program
• FAPESP's process: 15/05942-0 - Shedding light on the metabolism of nanomaterials absorbed by plants with X-ray and vibrational spectroscopy
• Grantee: Hudson Wallace Pereira de Carvalho
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants