Membrane-encapsulated controlled-release urea fertilizers based on acrylamide copolymers

Abstract

About 40-70% of the applied urea fertilizer is lost to the environment, causing serious pollution. Controlled-release technology is useful in increasing the efficiency of fertilizer urea as well as in checking environment pollution. Four laboratory-level controlled-release urea fertilizers were formulated based on polymers which are soil conditioners and then evaluated for their slow-release property. Urea was coated with the copolymer of acrylamide and divinylbenzene/N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide /tetraethyleneglycol diacrylate or pentaerythritol triacrylate and sealant materials (wax and polystyrene). Urea coated with co-polymer of acrylamide-tetraethyleneglycol diacrylate was found to be having a better slow-release property among the systems prepared.