Kinetic model studies of controlled nutrient release and swelling behavior of combo hydrogel using Acer platanoides cellulose

Background: Sustainable agriculture exclusively relies on the effective management of fertilizers and plays a significant role in reducing environmental threats. Herein, using a controlled release combo hydrogel (CRCH) can improve agronomy practices by increasing nutrient availability and thereby enhancing plant growth. It is accomplished by fabricating a CRCH and coating over the essential nutrient fertilizers to get significant results. Method: The CRCH fabrication comprises cellulose extraction from Acer platanoides and incorporating with acrylic acid (AA) and n-isopropyl acrylamide (nIPAM) in the presence of initiator (K2S2O8) and a crosslinker MBA to develop a 3D crosslinked polymeric structure. Extracted cellulose and controlled release combo hydrogel were characterized by FTIR, XRD, and TGA. Significant findings: Kinetic study of swelling and nutrient release, using Korsmeyer-Peppa Model, explained that the diffusion process took place through non-fickian mechanism and fitting of other kinetic models also evaluated. CRCH showed 88.8%, 74.4%, and 60.1% swelling ratio in deionized water, tap water, and in 0.9% NaCl solution respectively. An analysis of nutrient release profiles in deionized water, NaCl, and CaCl2 revealed that phosphorus has a relatively slower release than nitrogen. The findings coincide with other studies and proved its controlled nutrient release behavior that is valuable for agriculture. (C) 2021 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigates the use of controlled release combo hydrogel (CRCH) as a means to improve nutrient availability and enhance plant growth in sustainable agriculture. The CRCH fabrication process involves cellulose extraction, incorporation with acrylic acid and n-isopropyl acrylamide, and the development of a 3D crosslinked polymeric structure. The findings reveal that CRCH exhibits controlled nutrient release behavior and has potential applications in agriculture.