The Future of Fertilizer: Formulations and Usage
Keywords:
Plant Nutrients, Plant Growth, Food Production, Efficient Fertilizer Utilization, Agricultural Runoff, New Fertilizer Sources, Polymeric FertilizersAbstract
The development of modern fertilizers has sustained an ever-growing world population. This development has been strongly facilitated by the discovery of deposits of phosphate rock in various parts of the world and the implementation of the Haber-Bosch
process for the production of ammonia. Plant nutrients from both sources are now facing challenges. The sources of phosphate rock are being depleted in many areas and the Haber-Bosch process is energy intensive, expensive and exacerbates negative climate change. Further, overuse of these materials has contributed to environmental pollution, clogged waterways, and dead zones in various parts of the oceans. The development of better methods for applying and using fertilizers is becoming increasingly important. Significant progress is being made in the development of new technology to replace nitrogen fixation by conventional techniques, the recovery of fertilizer components, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, from wastewater, and new formulations to permit controlled release of plant nutrients to facilitate more efficient utilization by plants and reduce polluting runoff.
