Abstract

Macronutrient fertilizers, especially Nitrogen (N), have contributed greatly to increasing agricultural production. However, high fertilizer concentrations and uncontrolled leaching of nutrients lead to an increase in unwanted unassimilated reactive nitrogen and cause environmental pollution. This study aims at producing film with slow-release fertilizer. The bioplastic composite was prepared by solvent casting method employing Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC) as the plastic matrix, citric acid as a crosslinker, urea as nitrogen source and artificial humus as slow-release agent. Mechanical and water absorption tests were conducted to determine the physical properties of the film, while X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis to evaluate their chemical properties. The release of urea was accessed through UV Vis spectroscopy. The optimum condition of composite bioplastics was obtained at the composition of 4.5% CMC, 3% citric acid, and 10% (w/v) of artificial humus with a tensile strength of 11.59 MPa and elongation at break of 28.67%. release behavior shows the release of pure urea particles in water was almost 100% while release rate of urea from the composite in water is only about 11.5% in 48 h.