Synthesis of Hydrogel-Encapsulated Nanofertilizers from Biogas Digestate for Controlled Nutrient Release

Synthesis of Hydrogel-Encapsulated Nanofertilizers from Biogas Digestate for Controlled Nutrient Release | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Synthesis of Hydrogel-Encapsulated Nanofertilizers from Biogas Digestate for Controlled Nutrient Release Messy Abenoja, Jocheved Labata, Ramiro Emerson Amon, Jayvee Moore Dy, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8744534/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Natural fertilizers offer a more sustainable alternative to conventional mineral fertilizers by reducing energy-intensive production and minimizing nutrient runoff and chemical residues. In this study, a hydrogel-encapsulated nanofertilizer (HENF) was developed using biogas digestate, a waste-derived nutrient source, to regulate nutrient release and reduce environmental losses. Biogas digestate nanofertilizer (BDNF) was encapsulated within a cellulose-based hydrogel synthesized from sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC) and xanthan gum (XG), with citric acid serving as a chemical crosslinker to enhance structural stability and water retention. The resulting HENF exhibited a moderated yet substantial swelling capacity (350.94%), indicating effective water uptake while maintaining diffusion control. Nutrient release behavior was evaluated in deionized water, with electrical conductivity as an integrated indicator of ionic release. Compared with non-encapsulated BDNF, HENF showed a pronounced suppression of early-stage release and sustained nutrient diffusion over time. Kinetic modeling using the Korsmeyer–Peppas equation revealed a non-Fickian, relaxation-controlled transport mechanism ( n = 0.9789, R 2 = 0.9079), while lag-phase analysis using the Richards model indicated a hydration-controlled delay of approximately five days. Soil column leaching simulations further demonstrated reduced ionic transport for HENF relative to BDNF, indicating effective mitigation of nutrient leaching under repeated wetting conditions. Hence, the results establish a structure-property-function relationship linking hydrogel network design to regulated nutrient release, supporting the potential of waste-derived hydrogel nanofertilizers for environmentally responsive nutrient management. Hydrogel-encapsulated nanofertilizer biogas digestate valorization controlled nutrient release cellulose-based hydrogels Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8744534","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":584841106,"identity":"5cf43cf6-a378-4d37-aba2-5e87dff301e7","order_by":0,"name":"Messy Abenoja","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Mindanao","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Messy","middleName":"","lastName":"Abenoja","suffix":""},{"id":584841107,"identity":"5603cf8c-0833-4f13-8d00-83832b472dfb","order_by":1,"name":"Jocheved Labata","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of 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In this study, a hydrogel-encapsulated nanofertilizer (HENF) was developed using biogas digestate, a waste-derived nutrient source, to regulate nutrient release and reduce environmental losses. Biogas digestate nanofertilizer (BDNF) was encapsulated within a cellulose-based hydrogel synthesized from sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (NaCMC) and xanthan gum (XG), with citric acid serving as a chemical crosslinker to enhance structural stability and water retention. The resulting HENF exhibited a moderated yet substantial swelling capacity (350.94%), indicating effective water uptake while maintaining diffusion control. Nutrient release behavior was evaluated in deionized water, with electrical conductivity as an integrated indicator of ionic release. Compared with non-encapsulated BDNF, HENF showed a pronounced suppression of early-stage release and sustained nutrient diffusion over time. Kinetic modeling using the Korsmeyer\u0026ndash;Peppas equation revealed a non-Fickian, relaxation-controlled transport mechanism (\u003cem\u003en\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.9789, \u003cem\u003eR\u003c/em\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cem\u003e2\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.9079), while lag-phase analysis using the Richards model indicated a hydration-controlled delay of approximately five days. Soil column leaching simulations further demonstrated reduced ionic transport for HENF relative to BDNF, indicating effective mitigation of nutrient leaching under repeated wetting conditions. Hence, the results establish a structure-property-function relationship linking hydrogel network design to regulated nutrient release, supporting the potential of waste-derived hydrogel nanofertilizers for environmentally responsive nutrient management.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Synthesis of Hydrogel-Encapsulated Nanofertilizers from Biogas Digestate for Controlled Nutrient Release","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-05 17:41:27","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8744534/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"01f8f94d-2cd5-41d9-9ef5-c6b0133685e0","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 5th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-10T15:40:20+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-05 17:41:27","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8744534","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8744534","identity":"rs-8744534","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}