Environmentally Friendly Fertilizers Based on Starch Superabsorbents

Superabsorbents starches (SASs) were synthesized and characterized starting from native corn starch, bitter cassava and sweet cassava by graft copolymerization with itaconic acid. Additionally, their swelling behavior was studied both in water and in buffer solutions with different pHs and saline solutions. Their applicability was tested as environmentally friendly fertilizers in the absorption and release of urea, potassium nitrate and ammonium nitrate at different concentrations of fertilizers. The values of swelling at the equilibrium (H(∞)) in water and different media of the graft copolymers demonstrated their superabsorbent capacity, polyelectrolyte behavior, and smart response to environmental stimuli. The percentage of fertilizer absorbed and released from the SASs was a function of the initial concentration of the fertilizer in the medium. The loading and release of SASs were depended on the initial concentration of the fertilizer in the medium as well as the nature, structure, and morphology of the starch used.