Nanoparticles help create more food but reduce water and energy consumption

Recent research by scientists has shown that nanoparticles may be the solution to increasing food production in the future but do not affect the use of environmental resources.

With the world population expected to exceed 9 billion people by 2050, scientists are "headache" in finding new ways to meet global food demand without putting pressure on them. use of natural resources. Organizations like the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations are trying to call for innovation to better address the relationship between the three elements - food - energy - water.

Nanotechnology is emerging as a promising solution to promote plant growth and development. This idea is part of an accurate agricultural development plan, in which farmers will use technology to control the process of irrigation, fertilization and other stages of the farming chain. This farming method will make agriculture more sustainable because it minimizes the amount of waste to the environment.

Recently scientists have published research results, in which they use synthesized fertilizers from nanoparticles in the lab. They succeeded in using zinc nanoparticles to promote growth and productivity of mung beans - a plant that is high in protein and fiber that is grown quite popular in Asia. Scientists believe that this method may reduce the use of conventional fertilizers.

This approach will also help us to conserve natural minerals, energy (fertilizer production process takes a lot of energy) and it is important to significantly reduce water pollution. Not only that, the initial tests also showed that the use of fertilizers derived from nanoparticles also helped increase the nutritional value of plants.

Nanotechnology is emerging as a promising solution to promote plant growth and development.

Impact of fertilizer use

Fertilizers provide the nutrients that plants need to grow. Farmers often apply fertilizers to the soil environment, spread them on the field or mix with water and irrigation. Most fertilizer used by this method is often lost to the environment, even polluting other ecosystems. For example, excess nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer will be retained in the soil: they will form chemical bonds with other elements and become a source of nutrients that plants can absorb through their roots. Finally rain washes nitrogen and phosphorus into rivers, lakes and bays . and can cause serious environmental pollution.

Global fertilizer use is increasing with population growth. Currently, farmers use up to 85% of the world's phosphorus to use as fertilizer, although the plant only absorbs 42% of the phosphorus that we apply to the soil.

In contrast to normal fertilizer use with many tons of input materials, nanotechnology focuses on a very small number. To make it easier to imagine, think of a piece of paper, which is about 100,000 nanometers thick and a nanoparticle in the size of 1 to 100 nanometers.

These nanoparticles have a unique and refined physical and chemical properties and axial structure. Many biological processes, such as cell activity take place on a nanoscale. In other words, nanoparticles and can affect these activities.

Scientists are actively studying a series of nanoparticles of metals and metal oxides (also known as nanofertilizer) for use in science and cultivation. These materials can be used for plants through soil irrigation or leaf spraying. Studies have shown that spraying nanoparticles on plant leaves is particularly beneficial to the environment because they do not come into direct contact with the soil and therefore are not washed away and contaminate the water. Nanoparticles will be synthesized from plants, then they are sprayed through a nozzle system that can customize the flow to suit each plant type.

People aim to zinc - a micronutrient that plants need to grow but in much smaller quantities than phosphorus. By using zinc nanoparticles to spray green bean leaves after 14 days of germination, we can increase the activity of three important enzymes in the plant, including: acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and phytase. Enzymes react with complex phosphorus compounds in the soil, converting them into forms that legumes can easily absorb.

People make the enzymes more active, which helps the uptake by the plant to add 14% of the phosphorus in the soil without the need to apply more conventional fertilizers. The application of zinc nanoparticles has led to a 27% increase in the biomass of mung bean and 6% higher yield than the traditional method of fertilizing.

Nanofertilizer also has the potential to increase the nutritional value of plants. In a separate study, it was found that the use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles and zinc oxide could help tomato plants increase the amount of lycopene by 80% to 113% (depending on the nanoparticles and the concentration applied). This happens because nanoparticles increase the photosynthetic rate of plants thereby allowing them to produce more nutritional values.

Note: Lycopene (found in tomatoes) is a natural red substance that acts as an antioxidant and can prevent cell damage in people who consume it. Eating lots of foods containing lycopene reduces the likelihood of malnutrition. The amount of zinc that this study applies is within the threshold allowed by the US Government on food.

A mine that exploits phosphorus.

Next question: Medical problems and environmental impacts of nanoparticles

Researching nanoparticles in agriculture is still in the early stages but there are rapid advances. Before nanofertilizers can be used on farms, we need a better understanding of how they work and regulations to make sure they are used safely. The US Food and Drug Administration issued guidelines for using nano in animal foods.

Manufacturers are also allowed to add nanoparticles to create foods, personal care and consumer products. Examples include silica nanoparticles in infant formula, titanium dioxide nanoparticles in donuts and other nanomaterials in paint, plastic, paper fibers, pharmaceuticals, toothpaste.

Many properties affect whether nanoparticles pose a risk to human health, including size, shape, crystalline form, solubility, material type, exposure concentration and dosage. Experts say that nanoparticles in food products on the market today are probably safe to eat, but this is an area that needs further study.

To solve these questions requires more research to understand how nanoparticles work inside the human body. We must evaluate the impact of nanoparticles on the body and the environment. At the same time, there must be methods to evaluate and manage possible risks. However, studies show that in the short term, nanoparticles can help us solve urgent problems related to the relationship between the three elements of food - energy - water.