Research on permeability coefficient of a polyethylene controlled-release film coating for urea and relevant nutrient release pathways

The permeability coefficient is a key factor that reflects the nutrient release capability of polymer-coated fertilizers. To investigate the permeability coefficient of polyethylene (PE) controlled-release film and to determine the difference between the controlled-release film and a dense membrane, we designed a film permeation device to measure the permeability coefficient of a PE controlled-release film coating for urea, and a mathematical model was used to check the accuracy of these measurements. By measuring the permeation coefficient of a dense, PE membrane, the compactness of the PE controlled-release film was analyzed, and the nutrient release pathway of PE-coated fertilizer was discussed. Research indicated that urea was constantly released through PE controlled-release film and the permeability coefficient remained constant. The permeability coefficient for PE controlled-release film coating on urea with 1-4 months release time was in the range of 7.17-18.7E-15 m2/s with 2.6 times difference between the maximum and minimum. The permeability coefficient decreased as the release time increased, conforming to the inversely proportional relationship between permeation amount and time in the nutrient release model. It is investigated that the measured values are close to the theoretical values and can be used in model calculation. The urea permeability coefficient of PE dense membrane was 7.11E-18 m2/s, which is 1000-2600 times smaller than that of the PE controlled-release film. The contribution of permeability of polymer material itself is negligible. It can be concluded that PE controlled-release film is not a dense membrane but porous and that nutrient release is mainly determined by pore configuration of the film.