High Water-Retaining and pH-Adjustable Soil Conditioners with Ionic and Nanoparticulate Plant Nutrients from Aqueous-Based Bagasse Ash Stabilized by Bioacid and Cellulose Derivatives

Abstract

By nature-based solutions and a sustainable approach, this research aims to develop high water-retaining and pH-adjustable soil conditioners with ionic and nanoparticulate plant nutrients, by investigating the effect of key components and the factors influencing their stability in an aqueous system. First, we speculate that the stability of the combination is influenced by the conductivity, pH, and dispersion of important ingredients, such as bagasse ash. Our primary research topic is whether different rheological modifiers, such as dispersing, stabilizing, and compatibilizing agents, may have an impact on stability. Consequently, the optimal bagasse-ash liquid suspension containing stearic acid as a dispersing agent, d-chitosan as a stabilizing agent, and carboxymethyl cellulose as a water-retaining agent is found to be stable. This formulation can help improve the quality of such infertile soils as bare sand during the plantation of green bean seed. From electron microscopy, it is believed that CaO could be the physical origin of the excellent water absorption ability of bagasse ash. Finally, the multicompositional formulations are also stable as pH adjusters. The findings confirm the versatility of our approach to formulate stable aqueous-based soil conditioners and their applicability toward different types of soil under the varying effects of heat and draft from climate change worldwide. © 2025 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.