Preparation and characterization of double-coated slow-release urea fertilizer encapsulated with polymethylmethacrylate and sulfonated cellulose derivatives modified sodium alginate hydrogel

Xiaoxiao Tan; Guohua Dong; Zhichun Shi; Dongzhe Zhang; Donglong Liu; Yuanyuan Wang; Jun Li; Peng Wang; Wenzhi Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145572

Preparation and characterization of double-coated slow-release urea fertilizer encapsulated with polymethylmethacrylate and sulfonated cellulose derivatives modified sodium alginate hydrogel

Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jun 25:145572. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145572. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xiaoxiao Tan¹, Guohua Dong², Zhichun Shi¹, Dongzhe Zhang¹, Donglong Liu¹, Yuanyuan Wang¹, Jun Li¹, Peng Wang³, Wenzhi Zhang⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar 161006, PR China.
² College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar 161006, PR China; Technology Innovation Center of Industrial Hemp, State Administration for Market Regulation, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar 161006, PR China. Electronic address: ghdong@qqhru.edu.cn.
³ Agricultural College, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing 163319, PR China.
⁴ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qiqihar University, Qiqihar 161006, PR China. Electronic address: zhangwenzhi@qqhru.edu.cn.

PMID: 40578638
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145572

Abstract

The utilization of cellulose in preparation of slow-release fertilizer (SRF) is still challenging due to its inherent drawbacks such as low solubility and fragility. Herein, based on the preparation of sulfonation cellulose (SC) and sequential synthesis of corresponding SC based hydrogel (SC-SAH) by crosslinking the above-formed SC derivative with sodium alginate (SA), a novel double-coated SRF with urea granules as core was developed by utilizing polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as internal coating and the SC-SAH as external coating (SC-SAH/PMMA@Urea-SRF). The optimization on the preparation conditions of the hydrogels and SRFs together with the comprehensive characterizations demonstrate that SC-SAH possesses a higher swelling capacity and hydrophilicity. Importantly, the SC-SAH/PMMA@Urea-SRF exhibits superior slow-release performance in deionized water and soil compared to others including neat urea, SAH/PMMA@Urea-SRF (without SC or cellulose) and C-SAH/PMMA@Urea-SRF (merely cellulose). Specifically, the total cumulative release of SC-SAH/PMMA@Urea-SRF reaches 62.79 % within 36 h in water and 53.35 % over 35 days in soil. The nitrogen release of SC-SAH/PMMA@Urea-SRF into the soil adheres to a First-order kinetic model and is governed by Fick's diffusion process. Moreover, the SC-SAH/PMMA@Urea-SRF has a positive promotion effect on tomato growth. Consequently, this study offering a novel route for progressing SRF with cellulose derivatives for sustainable agriculture.

Keywords: Polymethylmethacrylate; Slow-release fertilizer; Sodium alginate hydrogel; Sulfonation cellulose derivative; Urea.