KFU chemists offer solutions for eco-friendly fertilizers and detergents

A paper saw light in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

"Our compounds is called 2-((1,2-dicarboxyethyl)amino)pentanedioic acid (IGSA). It may replace ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), aka Trilon B, which is know to be detrimental to the environment," explains Ayrat Dimiev, Head of the Laboratory of Materials for Green Energy and Life.

EDTA salts are widely used in the paper industry to bind heavy metals. The same objective is assigned to EDTA when it is added to the majority of existing detergents. Equally important is its use as a chelator (binding agent) for multi-component fertilizers with microelements for the agriculture.

The main shortcoming of EDTA is its low biodegradability, which leads to its amassment in groundwater. It's not per se harmful to humans or animals, but it binds heavy metals, thus transforming them to soluble states, and the metals then end up in water bodies.

Dr. Dimiev adds, "Notably, existing waste treatment installations do not capture EDTA. Of special concern for environmental scientists are microelement fertilizers based on it. The combined volume of EDTA used in agriculture is not that big, but when such fertilizers get into the soil, there is just no chance of them being captured. From there, they get into groundwater and water bodies. That's how fish ends up being stuffed with heavy metals."

The idea to synthesize IGSA first came to Dr. Bulat Garifullin, graduate of the Faculty of Chemistry of Kazan University in the class of 1990.

The Laboratory started working on the topic two years ago and then received support from the University as part of Priority 2030 funding.

As of now, IGSA-based fertilizers with Zn, Cu, Fe. Mo, Mn, and B have been created. Biodegradability was studied by the Institute of Environmental Sciences team head by Professor Svetlana Selivanovskaya. New compounds were found to be biodegradable and more effective in growth stimulation than EDTA. Both fertilizers were tested on lettuce, and IGSA-fed plants accumulated much more biomass.

As Dr. Dimiev adds, excessive amounts of EDTA were first found in benthic layers of European rivers and lakes at the beginning of the 21st century, "European nations undertook urgent measures, and the majority of European countries currently prohibit or limit the use of EDTA. We have not yet had such a prohibition. We hope that our compound finds way into the industry, and our rivers become much cleaner. However, EDTA is not the only water polluter. Some unscrupulous detergent producers use even more dangerous compounds."

Senior Research Associate Vasiliy Brusko says that IGSA and IGSA-based fertilizers are inexpensive to produce and conform to green chemistry regulations. There are no residual products in the process. The end product is harmless and affordable, which makes it a perfect fit for the production of fertilizers and detergents.

More information:
Novel Biodegradable Chelating Agents for Micronutrient Fertilization
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jafc.3c03500

Provided by Kazan Federal University