الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 63 |  |  |
| | | from | 63 | | |
Abstract
Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach for the controlled
release of nutrients, particularly phosphorus and potassium. These essential plant
nutrients are often applied in excess, leading to environmental pollution and loss
of efficiency in crop production. Innovative economic and highly efficient
fertilizers are urgently needed to achieve the targeted crop production worldwide
in the presence of limited land and water resources. Therefore, in this study, novel,
eco-friendly, cost effective and enhanced efficiency nano-enabled fertilizers, NEF
(nWTF1and nWTF2) were synthesized by impregnation of nanostructured water
treatment residuals (nWTR) with (KH2PO4 + MgO) at 1:1 and 3:1 (w/w) ratios
respectively using a planetary ball mill. The nWTR, nWTF1 and nWTF2 were
extensively characterized. The water retention behavior and the sustained release
of nutrients from the fabricated nano-enabled fertilizers (nWTF1 and nWTF2) in
distilled water and sandy soil were investigated and monitored over time. The
water retention capacity of the soil treated with nWTF2 after 26 days was 9.3
times higher than that of soil treated with conventional fertilizer. In addition, the
nWTF2 exhibited lower release rates of P, K and Mg nutrients for longer release
periods in comparison with the conventional fertilizers. This is a significant
advantage over traditional fertilizers, which release nutrients quickly and can lead
to leaching and nutrient loss. The main interaction mechanisms of PO4–K–Mg
ions with nWTR surface were suggested. The results of the kinetics study revealed
that power function was the best suitable model to describe the kinetics of P, K
and Mg release data from NEF in water and soil. The produced NEF were applied
to Zea maize plants and compared to commercial chemical fertilizer control plants.
The obtained results revealed that the nano-enabled fertilizers (nWTF1 and
nWTF2) significantly promoted growth, and P content compared with the
commercial chemical fertilizer treated plants. The present work demonstrated the
power of nano enabled fertilizers as efficient and sustained release nano-fertilizers
for sustainable agriculture and pollution free environment.