Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Carrier for Urea: Potential Applications in Agrochemical Delivery Systems

Wanyika, Harrison; Gatebe, Erastus; Kioni, Paul Ndirangu; Tang, Zhiyong; Gao, Yan

doi:10.1166/jnn.2012.5801

Cited by 124 publications

(50 citation statements)

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“…It has been observed that 15.5 % of urea was loaded inside the nanoparticles pores and demonstrated a controlled urea release profile in soil and water. The study revealed at least fivefold improvement in release period (Wanyika et al 2012). Zinc solubility and dissolution kinetics of ZnO nanoparticles and bulk ZnO particles coated on macronutrient fertilizers (urea and monoammonium phosphate) have been compared by Milani et al (2012).…”

Section: Nano-fertilizer Formulations and Their Smart Delivery Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nano-fertilizers and Their Smart Delivery System

Solanki¹,

Bhargava²,

Chhipa³

et al. 2015

Nanotechnologies in Food and Agriculture

257

126

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Outburst of world population in the past decade has forced the agricultural sector to increase crop productivity to satisfy the needs of billions of people especially in developing countries. Widespread existence of nutrient deficiency in soils has resulted in great economic loss for farmers and significant decreases in nutritional quality and overall quantity of grains for human beings and livestock. Use of large-scale application of chemical fertilizers to increase the crop productivity is not a suitable option for long run because the chemical fertilizers are considered as double-edged swords, which on the one hand increase the crop production but on the other hand disturb the soil mineral balance and decrease soil fertility. Large-scale application of chemical fertilizers results in an irreparable damage to the soil structure, mineral cycles, soil microbial flora, plants, and even more on the food chains across ecosystems leading to heritable mutations in future generations of consumers.In recent years, nanotechnology has extended its relevance in plant science and agriculture. Advancement in nanotechnology has improved ways for large-scale production of nanoparticles of physiologically important metals, which are now used to improve fertilizer formulations for increased uptake in plant cells and by minimizing nutrient loss. Nanoparticles have high surface area, sorption capacity, and controlled-release kinetics to targeted sites making them "smart delivery system." Nanostructured fertilizers can increase the nutrient use efficiency through mechanisms such as targeted delivery, slow or controlled release. They could precisely release their active ingredients in responding to environmental triggers and biological demands. In recent lab scale investigations, it has been reported that nano-fertilizers can improve crop productivity by enhancing the rate of seed germination, seedling growth, photosynthetic activity, nitrogen metabolism, and carbohydrate and protein synthesis. However, as being an infant technology, the ethical and safety issues surrounding the use of nanoparticles in plant productivity are limitless and must be very carefully evaluated before adapting the use of the so-called nano-fertilizers in agricultural fields.

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Section: Nano-fertilizer Formulations and Their Smart Delivery Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nano-fertilizers and Their Smart Delivery System

Solanki¹,

Bhargava²,

Chhipa³

et al. 2015

Nanotechnologies in Food and Agriculture

257

126

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The N 2 adsorption/desorption methods are used to determine the surface area and the pore size distribution of the porous materials [10,23,24], while the thermoanalytic analysis are used to determine drug content [25]. The FT-IR is a very easy way to follow the reaction progress [26e28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mesoporous silica core–shell composite functionalized with polyelectrolytes for drug delivery

Varga

Benkő

Sebők

et al. 2015

Microporous and Mesoporous Materials

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“…The choice of urea which constitutes about 40% of the total global nitrogen fertilizers application was made based on its high aqueous solubility, rapid hydrolysis by soil urease, and photo lability which has led to its considerable and rapid loss in soil [13]. Metalaxyl is an acylanilide fungicide with residual and systemic activity against fungi of the order Peronosporales, which attack a wide range of crops.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Controlled Release of Agrochemicals Intercalated into Montmorillonite Interlayer Space

Wanyika

2014

The Scientific World Journal

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Periodic application of agrochemicals has led to high cost of production and serious environmental pollution. In this study, the ability of montmorillonite (MMT) clay to act as a controlled release carrier for model agrochemical molecules has been investigated. Urea was loaded into MMT by a simple immersion technique while loading of metalaxyl was achieved by a rotary evaporation method. The successful incorporation of the agrochemicals into the interlayer space of MMT was confirmed by several techniques, such as, significant expansion of the interlayer space, reduction of Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) pore volumes and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas, and appearance of urea and metalaxyl characteristic bands on the Fourier-transform infrared spectra of the urea loaded montmorillonite (UMMT) and metalaxyl loaded montmorillonite (RMMT) complexes. Controlled release of the trapped molecules from the matrix was done in water and in the soil. The results reveal slow and sustained release behaviour for UMMT for a period of 10 days in soil. For a period of 30 days, MMT delayed the release of metalaxyl in soil by more than 6 times. It is evident that MMT could be used to improve the efficiency of urea and metalaxyl delivery in the soil.

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Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Carrier for Urea: Potential Applications in Agrochemical Delivery Systems

Cited by 124 publications

References 0 publications

Nano-fertilizers and Their Smart Delivery System

Nano-fertilizers and Their Smart Delivery System

Mesoporous silica core–shell composite functionalized with polyelectrolytes for drug delivery

Controlled Release of Agrochemicals Intercalated into Montmorillonite Interlayer Space

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