Mechanochemistry as an emerging tool for the preparation of sustained release urea cocrystals as a nitrogen source

Abstract

As the global community facing serious challenges such as increasing population and shrinking cultivation land that will raise an issue regarding sufficient food demand; a 70–100% expansion in global food...

Scale-Up of Agrochemical Urea-Gypsum Cocrystal Synthesis Using Thermally Controlled Mechanochemistry

“…21−28 In particular, a promising recent strategy to increase the soil retention time of urea (one of the common nitrogen fertilizers) has been cocrystallization. 29 To improve the performance of the fertilizer, urea is cocrystallized with coformers that not only increase its stability and soil availability but also provide essential plant nutrients themselves. Examples are calcium urea phosphates and sulfates, which serve as a source of nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus or sulfur, and were proposed to be significantly more stable in a moist environment than urea.…”

“…In particular, a promising recent strategy to increase the soil retention time of urea (one of the common nitrogen fertilizers) has been cocrystallization . To improve the performance of the fertilizer, urea is cocrystallized with coformers that not only increase its stability and soil availability but also provide essential plant nutrients themselves.…”

Cocrystal engineering strategy for sustained release and leaching reduction of herbicides: a case study of metamitron

“…Cocrystal strategy has been widely used in a variety of areas, including pharmaceuticals, 20 functional materials, 21 and energy materials. 22 The use of cocrystal strategy for agrochemicals is also rapidly developing 23,24 because of its remarkable effect on changing the physicochemical properties [25][26][27][28][29][30] and advantages in cost efficiency and scale-up potentials. For example, the limited application of essential oils due to the high volatility and scarce water solubility was expanded using cocrystal engineering.…”

Role and Responsibility of Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering in Providing Safe and Sufficient Nitrogen Fertilizer Supply at Turbulent Times

“…Secondary plant nutrients can also be added during the cocrystallization process, and mechanochemistry is emerging as a primary tool for this aspect. 43 The properties of the resulting urea formulations, including those relevant to the environmental conditions of soil, have not been explored to a large extent and need to be evaluated in the laboratory and the field to provide the path toward efficient recycled N management. That involves a better understanding of urea and urea cocrystal surface reactivity in the presence of water vapor using in silico methods and single-particle spectroscopy to better understand their deliquescence and efflorescence as well as in situ spectroscopy to measure the reactive N gas evolution.…”

“…Urea is an excellent complexing agent, and cocrystallization is likely to affect its reactive properties including solubility. Secondary plant nutrients can also be added during the cocrystallization process, and mechanochemistry is emerging as a primary tool for this aspect . The properties of the resulting urea formulations, including those relevant to the environmental conditions of soil, have not been explored to a large extent and need to be evaluated in the laboratory and the field to provide the path toward efficient recycled N management.…”