EFFECT OF NANOFILLERS ON THE SPREADING BEHAVIOUR OF BIOPOLYMER BLENDS ON UREA SURFACE

• Main Author: ZULKEFELY, NURUL IZZATY FAIZZEN
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS 2013
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/8405/1/compiled_dissertation_12821.pdf; http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/8405/

Recently, the controlled release technology has been developed through coating process which helps in increasing the efficiency of fertilizer besides reducing the fertilizer’s losses and minimizing environmental pollution. This paper presented new approach where a new modified biopolymer filled with nanoclay is developed and used as the coating material for the slow- or controlled-release fertilizer. The use of nanofiller is predicted to give a better spreading behavior which ensures the uniformity of coating process. Uniformity of urea coating is crucial as it will provide a steady and constant release of nutrients. Better wettability properties of a biopolymer droplet promotes formation of thin-film on urea surface and thus certifies the uniformity in coating process. Various sample consist of seven different blending ratio of modified biopolymer are prepared and evaluated for wettability properties. The wettability properties measured in this research project includes surface tension, contact angle and the maximum spreading diameter. Surface tensiometer or OCA 20 device is used to capture every single images of this droplet impact behavior. From experimental procedure, the spreading behavior of modified biopolymer on urea surface after addition of nanoclay filler is analyzed. The addition of 2% of nanoclay filler into 50/15/2.5/7.5 blending ratio had reduced the surface tension and contact angle of the droplet impact which provides the better wettability properties and spreading behaviour compared to the 50/15/2.5/7.5 blending ratio without addition of nanoclay filler. Therefore, it is proven that small amount of nanoclay filler added into the modified biopolymer solution had enhanced the spreading behavior of the droplet impact on the urea surface.