Assessment of Rheology in a Moistened Commercial Fertilizer and Its Solid Constituents

This study investigates the impact of moisture content on agricultural fertilizers' flowabil-ity, compressibility, and caking behavior. We assessed how varying moisture levels in-fluence the physical properties of commercial and experimental fertilizer mixtures by uti-lizing advanced testing methodologies, including shear cell technology and powder rheometry. Our findings reveal that moisture significantly enhances particle agglomera-tion, increasing the cohesive forces within the material and adversely affecting its flowa-bility. Moreover, the presence of moisture was found to exacerbate caking tendencies, par-ticularly under compressive storage conditions, which could impede material handling and application. The study also explores the effectiveness of surface modifications and the use of anti-caking agents to mitigate these effects, aiming to optimize fertilizer formula-tions for improved storage stability and field performance. Results from this research pro-vide crucial insights into the design and manufacturing of fertilizer products that are more resilient to environmental variations and offer enhanced usability in agricultural applications.