Waste‐Derived Micro–Macronutrient Nanofertilizers for Plants: An Emerging Sustainable Approach in Agriculture

While the increasing population results in more demand for food, industrial, municipal, and agricultural hazardous wastes are also on the rise. In an effort to meet such demands, synthetic fertilizers are often applied by farmers, which have negative environmental and health effects. Nanotechnology (NT) can substantially improve fertilizer production from waste, resulting in nutrient use efficiency, a decrease in environmental pollution, and an augmentation of plant productivity. Nanofertilizers (NFs), unlike bulk materials, are a new generation of fertilizers developed using physical, chemical, and biological methods. The NFs have a large surface area to volume, can encapsulate nutrients, and have greater mobility. They provide the precision, economy, and sustainability of agricultural strategies through focused delivery that facilitates optimal nutrient uptake by crops. This review gives an overview of waste valorization strategies, various NFs from waste, and their synthesis methods. It also throws light on waste recycling strategies. Waste‐derived NFs are proving to be more economical and effective than conventional ones. NF’s positive effect on plant tolerance to stress and the quality of the diet is encouraging its use. In the present era of prioritizing sustainable agriculture, NFs offer a promising solution to meet growing food demands while minimizing environmental impacts.