Haofu Liu

Theme 1

The role of green multifunctional fertilizers in increasing yield, efficiency, carbon sequestration, and emission reduction in farmland

Haofu’s research focuses on the development and application of green multifunctional fertilizers, which are critical to ensuring global food security and environmental sustainability. As the world population is projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, enhancing agricultural productivity while minimizing ecological impact has become increasingly urgent. Urea, a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, plays a vital role in maintaining soil fertility and increasing crop yields. However, its utilization efficiency is often compromised by ammonia volatilization, nitrification, denitrification, and nitrate leaching. Controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) have emerged as a promising solution to reduce nutrient losses. However, most polymer coatings used in CRFs are non-biodegradable, contributing to environmental pollution and economic inefficiencies. To address these challenges, Haofu is developing biodegradable, bio-based coatings for fertilizer encapsulation. His approach integrates both physical and chemical modification strategies to systematically enhance the performance of bio-based materials. Furthermore, comprehensive physicochemical characterization techniques are employed to uncover the structure-performance relationships and underlying mechanisms of the coatings. The ultimate goal is to develop a new generation of environmentally friendly, high-efficiency fertilizers. Haofu will be collaborating with researchers in Theme 1 on advanced fertilizer technologies with engineered coatings.

Haofu Liu received his master’s degree from the College of Resources and Environment Sciences, China Agricultural University. His master’s research focused on the development and application of chitosan-based iron-loaded slow-release fertilizers. Using chitosan as a natural raw material, he applied cross linking modification and iron-loading techniques to successfully develop two types of fertilizers: chitosan hydrogel iron fertilizer and dual-nutrient chitosan-coated urea. These fertilizers were evaluated during tomato seedling growth and under saline-alkaline stress conditions, showing enhanced iron uptake and improved plant development. His research also explored the broader application potential of chitosan-based materials in controlled-release iron nutrition, aiming to provide a solid theoretical foundation and technical support for their practical use and promotion.