Zeolite Fertilizer Additive
Because of its strong adsorption capacity, natural zeolite can improve fertilizer efficiency and extend soil fertility time when mixed with chemical fertilizers, thus reducing nitrogen loss.
The most widely used is the mixture of zeolite and ammonium bicarbonate. The mixed fertilizer made of zeolite powder and ammonium bicarbonate is good and stable, which can reduce the loss of ammonia, is not easy to agglomerate, and is convenient to use; it can be used as base fertilizer or as seed fertilizer.
However, simply mixing the zeolite with the fertilizer can not reduce the strength of the volatile and leaching losses of the fertilizer, especially in seasons and areas where rainfall is large and concentrated, or in string-irrigated paddy soil.
In addition, the application of zeolite and ammonium bicarbonate mixture should pay attention to the time and amount of fertilization, so it is necessary to develop zeolite fertilizer technology to improve the ability to resist loss.
The adsorption of urea on zeolite is similar to that of soil, but the zeolite and urea are made into zeolite-coated urea fertilizer, and its leaching strength is much lower than that of urea, and the zeolite coating hinders the direct contact of urease with urea in the soil, which slows the conversion of urea nitrogen. It prolongs the fertilizer efficiency and overcomes the shortcomings of large energy consumption, easy deliquescence and easy loss of urea directly mixed in the compound fertilizer.
At present, the United States has developed a renewable slow-release ion exchange fertilizer. This zeolite fertilizer can not only exchange NH, K, Ca2+, etc., but also stably release phosphorus. The fertilizer effect can last up to three growing seasons.
Japan has developed a bio-zeolite organic fertilizer containing N1.38%, P2O53.30%, and K2O2.13%, which is a broad-spectrum special fertilizer for improving soil.
In addition, zeolite can also be formulated with trace elements, organic fertilizers, humic acids, etc., but the research and application still need further exploration.