Zeolite reinforced carboxymethyl cellulose‐Na+‐g‐cl‐poly(AAm) hydrogel composites with pH responsive phosphate release behavior

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Phosphate fixation in soils is a matter of concern in agriculture. Conventional application of phosphorus fertilizer suffers from low P use constraint, particularly in acidic soils. Rhizosphere centric slow release strategy bears tremendous prospects. In the present study, monocalcium phosphate (MCP) was impregnated in zeolite reinforced CMC‐Na+‐g‐cl‐Poly(Aam) hydrogel composites with aim to develop slow phosphate release device for soil application. X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy confirmed the successful synthesis of slow release fertilizer formulations. Presence of zeolite in composite matrix during polymerization resulted in higher MCP loading. The “burst release” phenomena under neutral aqueous environment as compared to diffusion led slow release mechanism under acidic condition suggesting that phosphate release from developed composite matrix was pH responsive. The developed materials possess potential to serve as tool for improving phosphate use efficiency under resource stress agriculture.