Abstract:
Objective Iron-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) show great potential as controlled-release fertilizers. This study aimed to prepare iron-based MOFs via a microwave-assisted method and to evaluate the effects of incorporating Ca or Zn secondary and micro-elements on their composition, structure, nutrient release properties, and crop growth, thereby providing insights for the precise design and agricultural application of multi-nutrient micronutrient fertilizers.
Method Conventional iron-based MOFs (SR) were prepared by hydrothermal method (20 h) using ferric chloride, zinc chloride, calcium chloride, phosphoric acid, oxalic acid and urea as raw materials. Iron-based MOFs (WB1) were prepared within 165 min by microwave synthesizer. Based on WB1, two bimetallic MOFs, Fe/Zn based (WB2) and Fe/Ca based (WB3), were synthesized. The structure and composition of these MOFs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), eta potential analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and elemental analysis. Their nutrient release characteristics were evaluated via static leaching tests. Finally, the effects of different concentrations (0, 10, 100, 1000 µg/mL) of these MOFs on the growth of rice seedlings were investigated.
Result Hydrothermally synthesized SR contained approximately 2.94% N, 8.58% P, and 24.15% Fe, whereas microwave-synthesized WB1 exhibited 2.32% N, 5.89% P, and 25.26% Fe. WB2 demonstrated 1.27% N, 1.37% P, 8.95% Fe, and 15.83% Zn, while WB3 contained 1.68% N, 3.18% P, 9.37% Fe, and 9.88% Ca. Compared to SR, WB1 exhibited similar structure and morphology but lower stability. The stability of WB2 and WB3 decreased significantly, with their micro-morphology showing irregular granular crystals, among which WB3 had the smallest crystal size. Although iron coordination remained dominant in the bimetallic MOFs, the incorporation of Zn or Ca induced partial changes in their structure and morphology, with the changes being most pronounced in WB3. The microwave-synthesized MOFs achieved cumulative 30 d release rates of N, P, and Fe that were 88.87%, 287.87%, and 106.08% higher than those of SR, respectively, which showed the relatively faster release from WB2 and WB3 with the highest nutrients release rate of 19.6%. The microwave-synthesized MOFs significantly increased the biomass of rice seedlings by 24.35%, with WB3 at 1000 µg/mL showing the strongest growth-promoting effect.
Conclusion Microwave-assisted synthesis of iron-based MOFs greatly reduces fertilizer preparation duration while enabling the integration of additional nutrient elements. Although structural and morphological alterations occur, nutrient release kinetics still could satisfy the criteria of controlled-release fertilizer. The targeted incorporation of Zn or Ca in the MOFs proved their fertilizer efficacy in promoting rice seedling growth, thereby the microwave-assisted synthesis of MOFs-based fertilizers containing multiple nutrients provides an alternative technical support for the tailored development of novel multi-nutrient iron-based MOFs fertilizers.