A slow‐release and superabsorbent nitrogen fertilizer (SSNF) was synthesized by aqueous solution copolymerization of acrylic acid and maleic anhydride using N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide as a crosslinker, ammonium persulfate and sodium sulfite as an initiator in the presence of urea. The effects on water absorbency such as amount of crosslinker, initiator, urea and maleic acid, degree of neutralization, etc. were investigated. To improve slow release and water retention properties, the product was surface‐crosslinked with trihydroxymethyl propane glycidol ether (6360). The nitrogen content of the SSNF synthesized under optimal conditions was 28.5%, and the water absorbencies were about 900 (g/g) in distilled water and 180 (g/g) in tap water. The nitrogen slow release behavior of the SSNF in water and water retention capacity of the soil with SSNF were also investigated. The results showed that the surface‐crosslinked product not only had good slow release property but also excellent soil moisture preservation capacity, which could effectively improve the utilization of fertilizer and water resources simultaneously. The results of the present work indicated that the SSNF could be found an application in agriculture and horticulture, especially in drought‐prone areas where the availability of water is insufficient. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A superabsorbent, slow release nitrogen fertilizer (SSRNF) was prepared by inverse suspension polymerization of partially neutralized acrylic acid using N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide as a crosslinker and ammonium persulfate as an initiator in the presence of urea. The polymer was characterized using infrared spectral analysis, and network structural parameters such as molecular weight between crosslinks (Mc) and crosslink density (q) were calculated. The effects of reaction conditions, such as reaction time, reaction temperature, initiator, crosslinker and the degree of neutralization of acrylic acid, on water absorbency were investigated. The nitrogen content of SSRNF synthesized under optimal conditions was 22.7%, and the water absorbencies were about 965 g g−1 in distilled water and 185 g g−1 in tap water. The nitrogen slow release behaviors of the SSRNF in water and water retention capacity of soil with the SSRNF were also investigated. A possible slow release mechanism was proposed and the release rate constant K and the diffusion coefficient D of urea in the hydrogel was calculated. The results showed that the product not only had good slow release properties but also excellent soil moisture preservation capacity, which could effectively improve the utilization of fertilizer and water resources simultaneously. Therefore, the SSRNF is a multifunctional water managing material, which would find application in agriculture and horticulture, especially in drought‐prone areas where the availability of water is limited. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry

A superabsorbent polymer with slow-release phosphate fertilizer was prepared by esterification of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ), which was a slow-release fertilizer at the same time. The product's water absorbency (WA) was about 480 times its own weight if it was allowed to swell in distilled water at room temperature for 24 h. WA under various conditions, such as varying the reaction time, the amount of sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ), the reaction temperature, and the concentration of phosphoric acid ([H 3 PO 4 ]), were investigated and optimized. The optimal sample of the product was characterized by FTIR and elemental analysis. The results showed that phosphoric groups had grafted on PVA molecule chains, and the content of P 2 O 5 in the product was 31.2%. The water retention property and phosphate slow-release mechanism of the product were studied as well.

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A slow-release NP compound fertilizer with superabsorbent and moisture preservation was prepared by carboxyl methyl starch, acrylic acid, ammonia, urea, diammonium phosphate, and so on. The effects of the amount of initiator, crosslinker, and the degree of neutralization of acrylic acid on water absorbency were investigated and optimized. The product was characterized by FTIR, ICP, and element analysis, and the results showed that the product contained 22.6% nitrogen element and 7.2% phosphor (shown by P 2 O 5 ) element. Its water absorbency was about 85 (g ⅐ g Ϫ1 ) times its own weight in tap water. We also investigated the water retention property of the product and the slow release behavior of N and P in the product. The results showed that the product had a good water retention capacity and slow release property. The mechanism of the release of N and P in water was also investigated.