A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING OF NANO NITROGEN FOR SLOW RELEASE, ENHANCED UTILIZATION BY THE PLANTS AND APPLICATION THEREOF

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method of manufacturing of nano nitrogen for slow release, enhanced utilization by the plants. This invention also relates to fertilizer or agrochemical development and manufacturing for sustainable and precision agriculture, wherein, increasing surface area to volume size ratio by reducing the overall size of the substances through which plant being fertilized for nitrogen, zinc and copper, using ecofriendly approaches, brings the advantageous properties in relevance of the nutrient uptake, plant growth, development and protection from biotic and abiotic stress. Nano nitrogen manufacturing methods provides a simplistic way to develop nanoscale materials for better crop production and protection, while significantly minimizing the agrochemical leaching and losses to the environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Producing enough nutritious food to feed the increasingly growing global population, requires modern agricultural machinery, logistics, but importantly agri-inputs. The major agri-inputs other than seeds are fertilizer and pesticides that help growing and protecting plants against various biotic and abiotic stress. Furthermore, balanced nutrition to the plants also ensure the nutrition in the edible plant part, consumed by human or other animals. Since, pressure to produce more either due to more demand or for increasing farm income, farmers are using these agri-inputs in more and more amounts, year after year [1] Fertilizer is essential to balance the nutrient composition of the soil nutrient stock, but their excessive use due to lower use efficiency causes environmental pollution [2] Annually, approx. 118 million metric tons of nitrogen fertilizer is being chemically synthesized by the Haber-Bosch process, valued at nearly 100 billion USD, and over 55 million metric tons applied worldwide only to wheat, rice, and maize [3]. Moreover, along with macronutrient like nitrogen, essential micronutrients such as zinc and copper are also required for agronomic fortification, balanced growth and crop protection [4, 5].

In order to sustainably increase crop production while minimizing the requirement of agri-inputs, thus ecological impact, current agri-inputs manufacturing and their application uses practice require significant improvement so that fertilizer use efficiency can be improved. Nanoscale engineering designing ultra-small particles, yields high -surface area to volume size ratio when compare to their bulk counterpart. Hence, have potentially high uptake efficiency and require less in terms of volume by mass [6]. Such nanoscale particles are being tested for the crop fertilization. The main hypothesis is “addressing food - water-energy-environmental nexus using nanofertilizers or nano agri-inputs”. The reduction in agrochemical uses can be realized by reducing the amount of fertilizer or pesticide uses per acreage crop area while enhancing the crop production or just maintaining the current productivity.

Therefore, in the present invention, we disclose unique methods to manufacture three key nutrients namely - Nitrogen in their nano form, hence termed as “Nano Nitrogen”. The novel and non-obvious manufacturing processes allow manufacturing of these nutrients at nanoscale which has enhanced use efficiency, thereby require less to produce more. These nanoscale nutrients will be a key to replace the current bulk alternatives, thus they are extremely useful to achieve the larger aim of reducing agro-chemical inputs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention related to the method of manufacturing nano nitrogen. Nano - nitrogen can be used for crop nutrition or crop protection against nutritional deficiency or meet balanced nutrition and crop protection against biotic or abiotic stress causing agents. Furthermore, this nano-structure can be applied to the plants, both by foliar and root exposure. The nanoscale tiny structure of manufactured nanomaterials can be easily uptake by the plants, both by the roots and leaves. The nanostructure of the used elements allow their controlled and targeted release from the organic substrate in the available for of the plants so that efficient metabolism and utilization can takes place within and/or surface of the plant body. Moreover, Nano - nitrogen used elements stimulate biological processes in the plants and trigger growth and development. This element has potential to reduce the demand of conventional bulk chemical fertilizer or agrochemicals by enhancing use efficiency at nanoscale.

The present invention is claimed in following manner:

1. A method of manufacturing of Nano Nitrogen comprising the steps of:

Compressing and burning nitrogen and hydrogenin the prescence of carbon dio- oxide to obtain amide and nitrate; and a naturally occurring carbohydrate polymer made of glucose units hydrolyzed to form nano-fiber of oligosaccharide;

Forming the length of nano oligosaccharide formation depends on the temperature and the rate of hydrolysis;

Dispersing said oligosaccharide nano fiber in deionized water where they interact with amide and/ or nitrate particles as a result of nucleation and attachment efficiency leads to formation of stable nano-cluster on the carbon skeleton of oligo and polysaccharide so as to obtained final product Nano Nitrogen. 2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the nanofiber of oligosaccharide is being developed.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the nanofiber of oligosaccharide is being mixed with the respective precursor for nano nitrogen synthesis.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the nanofiber of oligosaccharide is attached with the respective particles or cluster or ions or precursors in order to form nano nitrogen synthesis.

5. A Nano nitrogen is manufactured as claimed in claim 1 -4, wherein said nano nitrogen is applied to plants by foliar spray, and root exposure - both in soil or geoponics, air (aeroponics) and water (hydroponics).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

DRAWING 1 : Manufacturing mechanism and process of NANO NITROGEN DRAWING 2 Characterization detail of nano nitrogen, nano zinc and nano copper and its impact on the plant and environment

DRAWING 3. Delivery of nano nitrogen, nano zinc and nano copper to plants

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, we disclose the novel method of manufacturing Nano Nitrogen. Nano - nitrogen can be used as agri-input, but generate novel concept and bring product for nanotechnology-based agrochemicals for sustainable and precision agriculture. The aim of the present invention is to reduce the demand of conventional chemical fertilizer, affecting environment - water, air and soil biological health, but also to reduce or minimizing the accumulation of agrochemical residues in the edible part of the plants. The nano nitrogen will be a replacement of conventional nitrogen or ammonia- based fertilizers, similarly nano zinc and nano copper for their respective conventional alternative sources being practiced today. Due to their inefficient uptake efficiency by plants as a result of rapid changes in their chemical nature or form makes them unavailable for plants to uptake, but ends up to the nature. The nanotechnology-based products “Nano Nitrogen is revolutionary in the sense of their unique physicochemical properties, nutrient -plant response and potential to address the nexus of food-water-energy and environment.

Example: manufacturing mechanism and process of nano nitrogen Nano nitrogen manufacturing begin with the natural source of nitrogen and hydrogen, that further compressed and burned in the presence of carbon dio-oxide to obtain amide and nitrate. Simultaneously, a naturally occurring carbohydrate polymer made of glucose units hydrolyzed to form nano-fiber of oligosaccharide. The length of nano oligosaccharide formation formed depends on the temperature and the rate of hydrolysis. These oligosaccharide nano fiber dispersed in deionized water where they interact with amide and/ or nitrate particles as a result of nucleation and attachment efficiency leads to formation of stable nano-cluster on the carbon skeleton of oligo and polysaccharide. The detail of the manufacturing process is described in the drawing 1. The final product can be manufactured in wide range of nano scale and micron scale. The product can be applied to plants by foliar spray, and root exposure - both in soil or geoponics, air (aeroponics) and water (hydroponics).

Nano nitrogen products can be manufactured in their wide range of particle size of interest, while controlling the monodisperse nature. Moreover, the manufacturing process allows controlled release of the nutrients for their rapid uptake once available for the plants’ uptake (Drawing 2 & 3). These nutrients can be effectively assimilating and become a part of plant’s cellular metabolism. Due to their effective uptake and high surface area with respect to volume size ratio of their bulk counterpart, hence require in less amount. Minimizing the requirement of agri-inputs by replacing with nano-agri-inputs will not only reduce the stress of agrochemical- based pollution to the environment, but also has potential to improve the soil biological health. These nutrients are stable for a long period of time while maintaining physico-chemical properties of the manufactured nano-agri-inputs of nitrogen, zinc and copper.

Nano-agri inputs developed with unique method described in the drawing 1 , 2 and 3 for the nano nitrogen can be applied to either method of foliar spray, and root exposure - both in soil or geoponics, air (aeroponics) and water (hydroponics). However, it was observed that smart delivery of these nutrients by foliar application has an added advantage over the soil application.

In summary, the present invention discloses the unique, non-obvious method for the manufacturing of nano nitrogen for use as agri-input for sustainable and precision agricultural practices. The final product is stable and scalable at the industrial scale to realize their potential of increasing crop production using eco- friendly agrochemicals.

REFERENCES

[1]. Food and Agriculture Organization- Fertilizer consumption (kilograms per hectare of arable land). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ag. con.fert.zs?end=2016&start=2002 (Accessed on October 30, 2019)

[2], Jez, Joseph M., Soon Goo Lee, and Ashley M. Sherp. "The next green movement: plant biology for the environment and sustainability." Science 353: 1241- 1244, 2016.

[3]. Ladha, J. K., A. Tirol-Padre, C. K. Reddy, K. G. Cassman, Sudhir Verma, D. S. Powlson, Chris van Kessel, Daniel de B. Richter, Debashis Chakraborty, and Himanshu Pathak. "Global nitrogen budgets in cereals: A 50-year assessment for maize, rice, and wheat production systems.” Scientific reports 6: 19355, 2016.

[4]. Raliya, R., Saharan, V., Dimkpa, C. and Biswas, P,, 2017. Nanofertilizer for precision and sustainable agriculture: current state and future perspectives. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 66(26), pp.6487-6503, 2018.

[5]. Kumaraswamy, R. V., Sarita Kumari, Ram Chandra Choudhary, Ajay Pal, Ramesh Raliya, Pratim Biswas, and Vinod Saharan. "Engineered chitosan based nanomaterials: bioactivities, mechanisms and perspectives in plant protection and growth." International journal of biological macromoiecuies 113: 494-506, 2018.

[6]. Raliya, R. (Ed.). Nanoscaie Engineering in Agricultural Management, CRC Press. ISBN 13:978-1-138-56701-6, 2019.