IMPROVING NUTRITION EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN AGRICULTURE WITH BIODEGRADABLE LIGNIN-POLYMER FERTILIZERS

Our team at mobius has developed a proprietary technology to incorporate technical lignin as a primary feedstock for low-cost, biodegradable polymers. The primary byproduct of the paper & biofuel industry, lignin is generated at a rate of 200 million tons per year and is a low-cost feedstock, estimated at $0.05/lb. Our technology can tune the mechanical & end-of-life properties by altering the formulation. We can also incorporate organic and inorganic nutrients, undergo continuous production via twin-screw extrusion (standard production method for thermoplastics) for customizable, low-cost CRFs, all without the need for any specialized processing equipment used to manufacture conventional CRF's.Our goals for this Phase II project are to: develop formulations of lignin-polymers for controlled-release fertilizer applications, demonstrate continuous production of these materials, and evaluate nutrient release efficiency & performance through laboratory validation experiments and greenhouse trials. We propose a 4-stage work plan to achieve these goals (see below), which includes Formulation Development, Laboratory Validation Testing, and Greenhouse and Field Trials (Stages 1-3). These Aims will complement our proposed TABA Commercialization Activities we will be working on in parallel (Stage 4). At the end of this project, we aim to have 1+ lignin-polymer formulations with added nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium nutrients with controllable release profiles and rates between 2 and 6 months. This time window correlates to commercially available CRFs presently on the market. As stretch goals, we are proposing to blend lignin-based formulations with multiple nutrients targeting release rates for specific commercial crops, and we would also like to explore the application of aqueous or green-solvent based lignin-polymer coatings. This work plan will iterate between stages and incorporate continuous input from customers, partners, and other stakeholders in the fertilizer industry.Our Phase II work will focus on the following hypotheses:Hypothesis 1: Lignin-based biodegradable polymer formulations can be tuned to control the release rates of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other nutrient mineral salts or small organic molecules using a combination of osmosis and hydrolysis of polyester copolymers driven by microbial enzymes at ambient temperatures.Hypothesis 2: Lignin-based biodegradable polymer formulations can be tuned to have non-linear release rates of plant nutrient ions and small molecules, matching the nutrient needs of targeted plants.Hypothesis 3: Lignin-based polymers, when used as a biodegradable binder and/or coating for controlled-release fertilizer applications, can achieve equivalent or better growth performance as current market CRFs.Hypothesis 4: Biodegradable polymer binders and/or coatings for fertilizers can release >95% of their nutrients, compared to the average 80% released by current market CRFs.Hypothesis 5: Lignin-based biodegradable polymers, with or without fertilizer, will improve soil health as measured by an increase in humic matter and beneficial microbial populations.To evaluate these hypotheses, we propose the following Specific Aims for this projectSpecific Aim 1: Demonstrate that formulation changes in biodegradable lignin-polymer materials facilitate release of small organic molecules and ions out of or through the polymer matrix with controlled release of 80% of said molecules and ions between 2 and 6 months.Specific Aim 2: Identify (2) formulations for each nutrient that meet baseline specifications under laboratory conditions.Specific Aim 3: Conduct greenhouse trials with commercially relevant plants to evaluate usability and effects of lignin-polymer fertilizers on plant & soil healthSpecific Aim 4: Identify IP & commercialization strategies (TABA)Stretch Aim 1: Identify blends of N, P, and K formulations for marketable productsStretch Aim 2: Investigate processes to create water- or solvent-based polymer coatings