Synthesis and characterization of nano phosphorus fertilizer from rock phosphate

Phosphorus is a vital macronutrient required for the growth and development of plants. The major concern regarding phosphorus (P) is low availability. Fertilizers are generally supplied to increase the crop growth. Rock phosphate(RP) is mainly used as the precursor for synthesizing phosphatic fertilizers. The applied phosphatic fertilizers are usually fixed in the soil and the excess fertilizers result in eutrophication and pollute the water bodies. To address these challenges nanofertilizer technology was created. In the present study, nano phosphorus fertilizer was developed using P-solubilizing bacteria (Bacillus megaterium) from RP. The nano RP was characterized using particle size analysis (PSA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The size of nano RP using a particle size analyzer was ~450 nm with a polydispersity index of 0.803. The FTIR spectra of RP show the presence of phosphate minerals, whereas some peaks of RP were altered after bios olubilization of RP. The XRD pattern indicated the presence of apatite and calcite and the number of peaks of nano RP was 13, while RP has 25 diffraction peaks. The scanning electron microscope image of nano RP indicated the reduction in the crystalinity of RP.