Boarino Alice, Carrara Nicola, Padoan Elio, Celi Luisella, Klok Harm-Anton
Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, 10095, Italy.
Institut des Matériaux and Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques, Laboratoire des Polymères, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 12, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.
Macromol Biosci. 2025 Aug;25(8):e2500042. doi: 10.1002/mabi.202500042. Epub 2025 Mar 25.
The current use of fertilizers is inefficient and not sustainable. The majority of the fertilizer applied does not reach the targeted crop but is lost in the water bodies and into the atmosphere, with harmful impact on the environment. To enhance the efficiency and sustainability of current agricultural practices, it is essential to address two complementary challenges. First, nutrient delivery methods must be refined to maximize plant uptake. Second, the recovery of nutrients from wastewater and other waste streams should be improved to enhance the recycling of nitrogen and phosphorous and reduce environmental pollution. Biodegradable polymers hold great promise for the development of technological solutions toward more sustainable agricultural practices. This review covers the application of biodegradable polymers in both aspects of the nutrient cycle: nutrient delivery to plants through slow- and controlled-release fertilizers, and nutrient recovery from wastewater using membrane separation, adsorbent composites, and coagulants/flocculants. The most promising materials are highlighted for both approaches, identifying the research gaps and discussing potential future directions in this highly significant field.
当前肥料的使用效率低下且不可持续。施用的大部分肥料并未到达目标作物，而是流失到水体和大气中，对环境产生有害影响。为提高当前农业实践的效率和可持续性，必须应对两个相辅相成的挑战。第一，必须改进养分输送方法，以最大限度地提高植物对养分的吸收。第二，应提高从废水和其他废物流中回收养分的能力，以加强氮和磷的循环利用并减少环境污染。可生物降解聚合物在开发更可持续农业实践的技术解决方案方面具有巨大潜力。本综述涵盖了可生物降解聚合物在养分循环两个方面的应用：通过缓释和控释肥料向植物输送养分，以及使用膜分离、吸附剂复合材料和凝聚剂/絮凝剂从废水中回收养分。针对这两种方法突出了最有前景的材料，确定了研究差距并讨论了这一极具重要性领域未来的潜在发展方向。
