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** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** NITROGEN (N) FERTILIZER IS ESSENTIAL FOR MAINTAINING SOIL FERTILITY AND CROP PRODUCTIVITY. APPROXIMATE 13 MILLION TONS OF N FERTILIZERS, INCLUDING UREA, AMMONIUM NITRATE, AMMONIUM SULFATE, ETC. ARE ANNUALLY APPLIED TO MAXIMIZE CROP YIELD IN U.S. HOWEVER, THE NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY FLUCTUATES FROM 30% TO 50% OF THE APPLIED N. BECAUSE OF THE LOW EFFICIENCY, OVER-USE OF N FERTILIZERS HAS RESULTED IN HIGHER PRODUCTION COSTS AND SEVERE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. MORE THAN 50% OF APPLIED N FERTILIZERS WERE WASTED DUE TO SURFACE RUNOFF AND UNDERGROUND LEACHING INTO WATER SYSTEMS, AND VOLATILIZATION INTO AIR. HALF OF THE LAKES IN THE U.S. ARE EUTROPHIC, AND 65% OF ESTUARIES AND COASTAL WATER ARE SEVERELY DEGRADED DUE TO EXCESSIVE N AND OTHER NUTRIENTS ESCAPING FROM AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION. THE U.S. IS THE LARGEST PRODUCER AND EXPORTER OF CORN IN THE WORLD. ALMOST 92 MILLION ACRES OF CROPLAND WERE PLANTED WITH CORN IN 2019 AND YIELDED ABOUT 14 BILLION BUSHELS. OVER 60% OF N FERTILIZER WAS USED INCORN PRODUCTION.THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A SMART, BIOCHAR-BASED, CONTROLLED-RELEASE NITROGEN FERTILIZER (BCRNF) TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY (NUE) WHILE MINIMIZING N LOSS TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABILITY OF CORN PRODUCTION. A NOVEL AND EFFECTIVE BCRNF PROTOTYPE WILL BE DESIGNED, FABRICATED, AND TESTED. BIOCHAR WILL BE USED AS CARRIER FOR THE BCRNF FABRICATION. BIOCHAR WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH N FERTILIZERS (E.G., UREA) AND THEN PELLETIZED INTO SMALL PARTICLES, FOLLOWED BY ENCAPSULATING A SMART AND BIODEGRADABLE COATING LAYER WHICH CAN RESPOND TO SOIL CONDITIONS SUCH AS MOISTURE CONTENT, TEMPERATURE, OR PH. THE COMBINATION OF BIOCHAR AND A SENSITIVE COATING LAYER WILL MAKE THE BCRNF A SMART FERTILIZER THAT CAN PROVIDE CONTROLLED N RELEASE TO IMPROVE CORN GROWTH. USING BIOCHAR DERIVED FROM RENEWABLE AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES, FOREST WASTES, OR BIO-BASED MATERIALS TO FABRICATE BCRNF WILL MAKE THIS APPROACH ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY. THE BCRNF FABRICATION PROCESS WILL BE OPTIMIZED TO PRODUCE AFFORDABLE AND EFFECTIVE BCRNF PRODUCTS. THE TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF BCRNF WILL ALSO BE EVALUATED FOR SCALE UP AND COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION. SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPING THE BCRNF TECHNOLOGY WILL MAKE EFFECT USE OF INDUSTRIAL BYPRODUCTS AND BIOMASS FEEDSTOCKS THAT ARE CURRENTLY WASTED AND CAUSING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OR SAFETY RISKS. IT WILL ALSO BENEFIT THE RURAL ECONOMY AND CREATE JOB OPPORTUNITIES.

$583,549FY2022National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

South Dakota State University, Brookings SD

Investigators

View source on USAspending →
** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** NITROGEN (N) FERTILIZER IS ESSENTIAL FOR MAINTAINING SOIL FERTILITY AND CROP PRODUCTIVITY. APPROXIMATE 13 MILLION TONS OF N FERTILIZERS, INCLUDING UREA, AMMONIUM NITRATE, AMMONIUM SULFATE, ETC. ARE ANNUALLY APPLIED TO MAXIMIZE CROP YIELD IN U.S. HOWEVER, THE NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY FLUCTUATES FROM 30% TO 50% OF THE APPLIED N. BECAUSE OF THE LOW EFFICIENCY, OVER-USE OF N FERTILIZERS HAS RESULTED IN HIGHER PRODUCTION COSTS AND SEVERE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. MORE THAN 50% OF APPLIED N FERTILIZERS WERE WASTED DUE TO SURFACE RUNOFF AND UNDERGROUND LEACHING INTO WATER SYSTEMS, AND VOLATILIZATION INTO AIR. HALF OF THE LAKES IN THE U.S. ARE EUTROPHIC, AND 65% OF ESTUARIES AND COASTAL WATER ARE SEVERELY DEGRADED DUE TO EXCESSIVE N AND OTHER NUTRIENTS ESCAPING FROM AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION. THE U.S. IS THE LARGEST PRODUCER AND EXPORTER OF CORN IN THE WORLD. ALMOST 92 MILLION ACRES OF CROPLAND WERE PLANTED WITH CORN IN 2019 AND YIELDED ABOUT 14 BILLION BUSHELS. OVER 60% OF N FERTILIZER WAS USED INCORN PRODUCTION.THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A SMART, BIOCHAR-BASED, CONTROLLED-RELEASE NITROGEN FERTILIZER (BCRNF) TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY (NUE) WHILE MINIMIZING N LOSS TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABILITY OF CORN PRODUCTION. A NOVEL AND EFFECTIVE BCRNF PROTOTYPE WILL BE DESIGNED, FABRICATED, AND TESTED. BIOCHAR WILL BE USED AS CARRIER FOR THE BCRNF FABRICATION. BIOCHAR WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH N FERTILIZERS (E.G., UREA) AND THEN PELLETIZED INTO SMALL PARTICLES, FOLLOWED BY ENCAPSULATING A SMART AND BIODEGRADABLE COATING LAYER WHICH CAN RESPOND TO SOIL CONDITIONS SUCH AS MOISTURE CONTENT, TEMPERATURE, OR PH. THE COMBINATION OF BIOCHAR AND A SENSITIVE COATING LAYER WILL MAKE THE BCRNF A SMART FERTILIZER THAT CAN PROVIDE CONTROLLED N RELEASE TO IMPROVE CORN GROWTH. USING BIOCHAR DERIVED FROM RENEWABLE AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES, FOREST WASTES, OR BIO-BASED MATERIALS TO FABRICATE BCRNF WILL MAKE THIS APPROACH ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY. THE BCRNF FABRICATION PROCESS WILL BE OPTIMIZED TO PRODUCE AFFORDABLE AND EFFECTIVE BCRNF PRODUCTS. THE TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF BCRNF WILL ALSO BE EVALUATED FOR SCALE UP AND COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION. SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPING THE BCRNF TECHNOLOGY WILL MAKE EFFECT USE OF INDUSTRIAL BYPRODUCTS AND BIOMASS FEEDSTOCKS THAT ARE CURRENTLY WASTED AND CAUSING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OR SAFETY RISKS. IT WILL ALSO BENEFIT THE RURAL ECONOMY AND CREATE JOB OPPORTUNITIES. · GrantIndex