Coated Biofertilizer Granules for Long Shelf-Life Bacterial Viability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing biofertilizers, particularly solid formulations, face challenges in achieving extended shelf life while maintaining the viability of microorganisms, leading to reduced ecological and economic viability due to limited stability and compatibility with standard fertilizers and agricultural practices.
Innovation Solution
A biofertilizer granule comprising a core with a coating, where the core includes inorganic, organic, or mixed fertilizers, and the coating consists of a binding agent and a soil activator composition containing lignosulfonate salts and a bacterial mixture, ensuring a shelf life of at least 2 to 3 years with a bacterial count of 263 million cfu/g, and an environmental footprint minimized by using sodium or calcium lignosulfonate as a counter ion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If solid biofertilizer formulations are used, then ecological and economic viability is improved, but shelf life is limited and microorganism viability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-coating fertilizer granules with a protective composition containing microorganisms, binding agents, and protective substances before storage. This pre-prepared coating protects microorganisms during storage, enabling extended shelf life (2-3 years) while maintaining viability, thus resolving the contradiction between solid formulation stability and microorganism survival duration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining fertilizer granules with a multi-component coating system that includes binding agents (such as starch, cellulose), protective substances (such as sugars, proteins, lipids), and microorganisms. This composite structure provides both the stability of solid formulations and the protective environment needed for long-term microorganism survival, addressing the shelf life limitation
2Duration of action of stationary object
If liquid biofertilizer formulations are used, then shelf life is extended, but ecological footprint increases due to water transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming the physical state of the biofertilizer from liquid to solid granular form, while compensating for the typically shorter shelf life of solids through the protective coating system. This parameter change eliminates the need for water transportation associated with liquid formulations, reducing environmental footprint while achieving comparable or extended shelf life through the coated granule structure
3Stability of the object's composition
If biofertilizers are manufactured with more ingredients, then microorganism stability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by selectively including only the most essential protective components in the coating composition - primarily binding agents and key protective substances (sugars, proteins, or lipids) along with microorganisms. This focused approach provides sufficient microorganism stability without the need for complex multi-ingredient formulations, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining adequate protection
Data Source
AI summary
Biofertilizer granule comprising a core and a coating, said core comprises at least one fertilizer chosen in the group comprising inorganic fertilizer, organic fertilizer, biofertilizer, and their mixture, said coating comprises at least a binding agent and a soil activator composition having an extended shelf-life duration and comprising from 91.8 to 99.8 weighty of at least one lignosulfonate salt with respect to the total weight of the soil activator composition, from 0.2 to 8.2 weight % of a bacterial mixture with respect to the total weight of the soil activator composition, said bacterial mixture containing at least 3 different bacteria species with one or more nitrogen fixing bacteria species and one or more phosphorus solubilizing bacteria species, and containing at least 263 million (2.63×108) cfu total bacteria /g soil activator composition after said extended shelf life measured according to ASTM-D5465-93 (dated 1998) standard.