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Herein, we report the enriched synthesis of 2,5‐diformylfuran (DFF) from 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) over a Nb2O5/g‐C3N4 heterojunction under direct sunlight irradiation. The analytical characterization established the improved quality of the heterojunction compared to the original characteristics of the single photocatalysts, especially the surface properties and alignment of band edge positions, towards the control of recombination of the charge carriers for its application in the photocatalytic oxidation of HMF. Acetonitrile possessing a moderate polarity provided significant assistance in the higher HMF conversion (72 %), resulting in a 61 % wt. DFF yield and 84 % selectivity under modest reaction conditions. The result is comparatively 1.5 to 3.3 times higher than the single photocatalysts (g‐C3N4 and Nb2O5) under similar conditions, indicating the potential of the heterostructure (type‐II heterojunction) in DFF synthesis through the synergistic action of Nb2O5 and g‐C3N4 by controlling the e−–h+ pair recombination. Moreover, the heterojunction enabled selective conversion without the supply of O2 gas or oxidizing agent. The photogenerated holes (h+) played a key role in the augmented HMF conversion (based on radical trap studies), which obeyed first‐order kinetics.

A sustainable fertilizer coating using silica for urea release control has been developed using egg white as the binder, which forms an irreversible hydrophobic β-sheet on gentle heating and substitutes earlier petrochemical coatings. When the silica content is increased for diffusion control, the membrane becomes brittle; hence, for the first time here, jute grafted silica nanoring has been used, where the nanojute acts as a strong buckle for the egg white β-sheet fastener and serve as the sack for holding urea. Silica and egg white are inert, while the jute acts as an auto rate-cutter for spill-way pores in silica, which allows a threshold amount of nutrients to pass on initial wetting and then controls nutrient loss by swelling. Thus, both forms of loss, viz. volatility and liquid with humidity and flooding, respectively, get controlled. This eco-friendly noncovalent stable scalable urea coating shows 15% more efficiency in rice production.

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