Partnership between UFSCAR and USP enabled a discovery that could change the entire agrarian economy and optimize agribusiness in Brazil
Students and researchers from the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and the University of São Paulo (USP) have created a new fertilizer that uses sugarcane cellulose as the main raw material, whose objective is to use biodegradable materials so that there is slow exposure to soil and sufficient decomposition for faster plant growth.
When this material is used on a large scale by farmers, it will be possible to reduce part of the dependence that Brazil has on the use of fertilizers that are imported from Russia. Since the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine, prices inflated, harming the small consumer and cultivator of their land.
How is this biodegradable material made?
This biodegradable material can only be made using sugarcane-based cellulose fiber, which is part of our country's agrarian culture. In short, it has some nutrients that are essential for a faster development of seedlings on the soil, being nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
These materials are able to undergo natural decomposition processes when they come into contact with the environment, not leaving any type of acid or heavy metal on the earth, which can consequently make it more productive.
Soon after the product was created, the invention was sent to the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). And, for those who might be thinking that it will be expensive, according to the Federal University of São Paulo, its production is around R$ 0,27, precisely because it only includes items that are already part of Brazilian agriculture, without the need to suffer so much from variations in commodities at the time the purchase is made.
The creation of this fertilizer would have been inspired by a doctoral work by Lucas Luiz Messa, PhD in Engineering and Materials Science from USP, Pirassununga campus. Lucas allegedly received support from the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) so that he could remain in the field of science through grants. He is currently part of the faculty at the Department of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Education (DCNME-Ar) at the Campus Araras of UFSCar.
You will not need to use any type of solvent and there is no disposal of environmentally harmful materials during production.
One of the positive sides, according to the doctor, is that the creation of this biodegradable component does not require the use of solvents, preventing them from being dumped into the sewer and causing environmental problems to fish and water.
In a sheet format, as if it were a piece of paper, it is not necessary to preserve it through plastic, and you can even use the material as a bag and later dispense it in the crops, where it will provide many nutrients for the soil, leaving you much richer and nourished.
