Application of Surfactants in Fertilizers
Preventing fertilizer caking: With the development of the fertilizer industry, increased fertilization levels, and growing environmental awareness, society has imposed higher demands on fertilizer production processes and product performance. The application of surfactants can enhance fertilizer quality. Caking has long been a challenge for the fertilizer industry, particularly for ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, urea, and compound fertilizers. To prevent caking, in addition to precautionary measures during production, packaging, and storage, surfactants can be added to fertilizers.
Urea tends to cake during transportation and storage, severely affecting its sales and usability. This phenomenon occurs due to recrystallization on the surface of urea granules. Moisture inside the granules migrates to the surface (or absorbs atmospheric humidity), forming a thin water layer. When temperatures fluctuate, this moisture evaporates, causing the saturated solution on the surface to crystallize and leading to caking.
In China, nitrogen fertilizers primarily exist in three forms: ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and amide nitrogen. Nitro fertilizer is a high-concentration compound fertilizer containing both ammonium and nitrate nitrogen. Unlike urea, nitrate nitrogen in nitro fertilizer can be directly absorbed by crops without secondary conversion, resulting in higher efficiency. Nitro compound fertilizers are suitable for cash crops such as tobacco, corn, melons, fruits, vegetables, and fruit trees, performing better than urea in alkaline soils and karst regions. However, since nitro compound fertilizers mainly consist of ammonium nitrate, which is highly hygroscopic and undergoes crystal phase transitions with temperature changes, they are prone to caking.
Application of Surfactants in Contaminated Soil Remediation
With the development of industries such as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and plastics, various hydrophobic organic pollutants (e.g., petroleum hydrocarbons, halogenated organics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides) and heavy metal ions enter the soil through spills, leaks, industrial discharges, and waste disposal, causing severe contamination. Hydrophobic organic pollutants readily bind with soil organic matter, reducing their bioavailability and hindering soil utilization.
Surfactants, being amphiphilic molecules, exhibit strong affinity for oils, aromatic hydrocarbons, and halogenated organics, making them effective in soil remediation.
Application of Surfactants in Agricultural Water Conservation
Drought is a global issue, with crop yield losses due to drought equaling the combined losses from other meteorological disasters. The process of evaporation suppression involves adding surfactants to systems requiring moisture retention (e.g., agricultural water, plant surfaces), forming an insoluble monomolecular film on the surface. This film occupies limited evaporation space, reducing the effective evaporative area and conserving water.
When sprayed on plant surfaces, surfactants form an oriented structure: their hydrophobic ends (facing the plant) repel and block internal moisture evaporation, while their hydrophilic ends (facing the air) facilitate atmospheric moisture condensation. The combined effect inhibits water loss, enhances crop drought resistance, and boosts yields.
Conclusion
In summary, surfactants have broad applications in modern agricultural technology. As new agricultural techniques emerge and novel pollution challenges arise, the demand for advanced surfactant research and development will grow. Only by creating high-efficiency surfactants tailored to this field can we accelerate the realization of agricultural modernization in China.
Post time: Aug-15-2025