Journal
JOURNAL OF MACROMOLECULAR SCIENCE PART A-PURE AND APPLIED CHEMISTRY
Volume 48, Issue 10, Pages 806-815Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
DOI: 10.1080/10601325.2011.603629
Keywords
Slow-release fertilizer; superabsorbent; water retention; itaconic acid; carboxymethylcellulose
Categories
Funding
- Ministry of Education of China [20090211110004]
- Gansu Province Project of Science and Technologies [0804WCGA130]
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To improve the utilization of fertilizer and water resources at the same time, a new slow-release PK compound fertilizer (SRCF) with the function of water retention was prepared. Element analysis results showed that the product contained 20.46% potassium (shown by K2O) and 15.45% phosphorus (shown by P2O5), which were trapped in the matrix of carboxymethylcellulose-graft-poly(acrylic acid-co-itaconic acid) superabsorbent polymer. Major factors affecting the water absorbency of SRCF such as weight ratio of itaconic acid (IA) to acrylic acid (AA), contents of crosslinker, K2HPO4, and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) were investigated and optimized. The water absorbency of the product was 130 times its own weight if it was allowed to swell in tap water at room temperature for 1 h. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric/Differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) confirmed that AA and IA monomers were graft-copolymerized onto CMC backbone and presented the improved thermal stability. The water evaporation of the fertilizer-containing superabsorbents, as well as their nutrients release in sandy soil was carried out, and a possible slow-release mechanism was proposed. Additionally, compressive modulus measurements revealed that the introduction of CMC could improve the mechanical properties of the superabsorbents. These studies showed that the product with good slow-release and water retention properties, being economical and environment-friendly, could be expected to have wide potential applications in modern agriculture and horticulture.
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