** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE OF APPLYING GRANULAR UREA AS A FERTILIZER INCLUDES INCREASED NITRATE LOADS IN SURFACE WATERS. AS A MEASURE TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THAT LEAVE A SMALLER ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT, CONTROLLED RELEASE FERTILIZERS (CRF) HAS BECOME POPULAR. BUT, DUE TO THEIR HIGHER COST, USE OF CRF FOR FIELD CROPS IS VERY LIMITED. IN ADDITION, THE POLYMER COATING USED IN CRF'S ARE NON-BIODEGRADABLE. THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO USE NOVEL MECHANOSYNTHESIS AND LAYERWISE AGGLOMERATION TECHNIQUE TO DEVELOP GRANULAR UREA WITH IMPROVED RELEASE CHARACTERISTICS, AND SPECIFICALLY, WITHOUT ANY POLYMER COATING. THE WORKING HYPOTHESIS OF THIS STUDY IS THAT A MECHANOCHEMISTRY APPROACH CAN BE USED TO DECREASE NITROGEN RELEASE FROM THE AGGLOMERATED GRANULES.THROUGH THIS PROPOSED WORK, WE AIM TO DEVELOP PROCESS METHODOLOGY TO AGGLOMERATE UREA WITH LAYERED SOLID FRACTION VARIATION. THIS INNOVATIVE GRANULATION METHOD WILL CONTOL THE MOISTURE TRANSPORT THROUGH THE POROUS NETWORK WITHIN UREA GRANULES AND REDUCE THE RATE OF DISSOLUTION. THIS LAYERED AGGLOMERATION OF UREA IS A NEW AND NOVEL APPROACH NOT CURRENTLY USED BY THE FERTILIZER INDISTRY. THIS ADVANCED METHOD WOULD LEAD TO IMPROVED NITROGEN USE EFFICIENCY AND REDUCED NITRATE LOAD IN SURFACE AND SUB-SURFACE DRAINAGE WATER SYSTEMS. THE OUTCOME OF THE PROPOSED WORK WILL CURTAIL FERTILIZER COSTS FOR FARMERS AND WILL LEAD TO MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THAT LEAVE A SMALLER ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT.