MSc. Łukasz Rusek under the supervision of dr hab. Marzena Brodowska, prof. of the university is implementing a project entitled “Research on the technology of producing slow-release coated fertilizers and their impact on the yield and quality parameters of plants.”

The main goal of the project is to develop a biodegradable polymer coating for nitrogen fertilizers (urea) and compound fertilizers (NPK) in order to ensure a slow release of nutrients into the soil, and thus increase the use of these nutrients by plants. The research hypothesis assumes that the coatings will minimize the negative impact of fertilizers on the environment by reducing ammonia emissions and nitrate leaching. The scope of the project includes: conducting research on the production of biodegradable coatings for N and NPK fertilizers; development and optimization of the method of their application on fertilizer granules; testing the materials in soil conditions and conducting field experiments to compare the performance of a coated fertilizer with an uncoated fertilizer for test plants; designing the technological process of producing coated fertilizers and implementing the results of the Project into production.

The project is financed by the Ministry of Science and Education from the “Implementation doctorate” program. The entity cooperating in the implementation of the project is the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of New Chemical Syntheses.