SBIR Phase I: Caged Urea as an Eco-friendly Nitrogen Fertilizer

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的更广泛的商业影响是减少了由于氮肥造成的温室气体排放和水污染。该项目还将在较低的氮肥施用量下提高农业生产率，使用一种新的概念，即在分子笼子中困住尿素。氮肥可能是严重的环境污染物。现有的替代品对于一般农业用途来说要么过于昂贵，要么会造成不必要的残留物堆积，因此使用量最小。氮肥污染仍然是全球严重关切的问题。该项目的影响针对三个目标：(A)农民收入：拟议的氮肥可能使作物产量增加5%-10%，提高农场利润，并提高10%美国人口的收入；(B)美国经济：该技术可能通过这种肥料的全球出口提振美国经济；以及(C)环境与健康：该解决方案可能减少氮肥的温室气体排放和水污染。该项目旨在开发一种新型肥料化合物，将尿素固定在可生物降解的分子笼子中。分子笼的设计是将尿素结合在其结构内，以降低其溶解度和减少污染物的产生。只有当笼子被根部分泌物(如有机酸)溶解时，氮气才会从笼子里释放出来。这项技术是一种智能释放机制，不溶的养分只在植物需要时才会释放。笼子本身是由植物养分构成的，因此，当植物溶解笼子时，它不仅从尿素中获得氮，而且还消耗笼子，因为笼子也是植物的食物。为了获得商业上的成功，该团队将优化笼养尿素的性能，以满足农艺和环境目标以及农民的接受度。这些目标将通过调节笼式连接桥来改善尿素的捕获率，通过控制微环境改进剂来减少挥发，控制生产过程中的排放，并改善物理性能以便于农民使用。该项目将有助于将笼养尿素开发成环境影响、农学效益、适销对路、消费者友好和可制造的商品。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and water contamination due to nitrogen fertilizers. The project will also increase agricultural productivity at lower nitrogen application rates using a novel concept of urea trapped in molecular cages. Nitrogen fertilizers can be serious environmental pollutants. Available alternatives are either too expensive for general agricultural use or cause unwanted residue buildup and are, therefore, minimally used. Pollution from nitrogen fertilizers remains a serious concern globally. This project's impact is directed at three targets: (a) Farmer income: the proposed nitrogen fertilizer may increase crop yields by 5-10%, improve farm profits, and improve the income of 10% of the US population; (b) US economy: the technology may boost the US economy by global export of this fertilizer; and (c) Environment and health: the solution may reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution from nitrogen fertilizer. The project is aimed at the development of a novel fertilizer compound, where urea is trapped within a biodegradable molecular cage. The molecular cage is designed to bind urea within its structure to reduce its solubility and reduce pollutant production. Nitrogen is released from this cage only when the cage is dissolved by root secretions (such as organic acids). This technology is an intelligent release mechanism where an insoluble nutrient is released only on demand by the plant. The cage itself is constructed of plant nutrients therefore, when the plant dissolves the cage, it not only gets its nitrogen from urea but also consumes the cage because the cage is also food to the plant. To have a commercially successful product, the team will optimize the performance of the caged urea to meet agronomic and environmental targets and farmer acceptability. These goals will be accomplished by modulating the cage-link bridges to improve the trapping of urea, reducing volatilization by controlling the microenvironment modifiers, controlling emissions during production, and improving the physical properties for ease-of-farmer use. This project will help to develop caged- urea into an environmentally impactful, agronomically beneficial, marketable, consumer friendly, and manufacturable commodity.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.