Advances in controlled-release fertilizer encapsulated by organic-inorganic composite membranes

Heavy use of conventional fertilizers can lead to negative environmental concerns. Controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) can effectively reduce the amounts of fertilizers used, improve the availability of fertilizers, and which is conducive to the protection of the ecological environment and sustainable development of agriculture. Therefore, it is imperative to develop and use CRFs as an alternative to traditional fertilizers. This review aims to present the classification, raw material composition, benefits, release process, release mode, and manufacturing methods of fertilizers coated with organic-inorganic composite membranes (OICMs) in order to provide an overall update and summarize CRFs encapsulated by OICMs and provide an insight for future trends in the field of fertilizers. It is expected that utilizing CRFs encapsulated by OICMs and their characteristics for agricultural applications can provide innovative ideas and suggestions for developing novel CRFs suitable for modern and sustainable agriculture. & COPY; 2023 Chinese Society of Particuology and Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.