AZOGEL ® is obtained through a temperature-controlled thermal hydrolysis process of collagen. AZOGEL ® is a homogeneous and standardized matrix that allows a regular release of nitrogen to the soil, naturally mediated by microorganisms. This release mode, already determined in the production phase, means that AZOGEL ® can meet the agronomic needs of crops based on nutrient absorption curves.
• AZOGEL® has been recognized as a new “MATRIX” since 2007;
• AZOGEL® is a new legally recognized type designation;
• Only the FCH® process can generate the AZOGEL® matrix;
• The nitrogen contained is progressively made available to crops throughout the vegetative cycle, as it is obtained through a specific collagen hydrolysis process;
• AZOGEL® is a completely organic product;
• Soluble nitrogen and extractable carbon measure manufacturing quality;
• Due to its unique natural characteristics, it avoids waste and nitrogen losses through leaching and volatilization;
• Highly nutritious and energetic matrix for the soil-plant system;
• Contributes to the formation of N reserves in the soil;
• Allows for the integration of consumption or lack of organic matter;
• Greater agronomic value than other matrices;
• Allows cost savings for the farmer, given its high agronomic efficiency.
The key to the success of AZOGEL® lies in its fertilizing action. In fact, this does not end in a short period of time, but rather determines a natural balance in the soil of absorption and release of fertility elements between organic matter, soil and plant matter, which is the unique characteristic of the product.
And this is proven by both laboratory tests and field results.
1. Organic nitrogen
2. Ammoniacal nitrogen
3. Nitric nitrogen
Organic nitrogen, however, is the most common form in soil, as well as the most stable and important because it is found in the protein structures of organic matter in plant and animal tissues.
Having organic nitrogen in the soil has many advantages:
• It is the most natural way of creating a reserve of what is considered the main element of fertility;
• It is not subject to losses due to leaching, like the nitric form. This avoids the risk of groundwater pollution;
• It is not subject to losses due to volatilization, as is the case with the ammoniacal form, because it is embedded in the organic matrix itself;
• It is released from organic matter throughout the year, during mineralization processes and gradually;
• It is released entirely into the soil layer affected by plant roots (rhizosphere), and is then easily and more usable by plants;
• Allows for a constant and rational supply of nitrogen throughout the vegetative cycle, without waste or possible dangers of environmental pollution.
AZOGEL®-based products, in addition to being characterized by a high amount of organic nitrogen, are rich in organic matter, which is vital not only for the soil microbial population, but also at the soil level itself. In fact, it improves aggregation, therefore the structure, porosity and field capacity (water retained in the soil) in all types of soil.
and in particular in sandy soils. In addition, they perform a particular chelating and complexing function in relation to the essential elements of fertility, allowing their absorption even in poor conditions.
The composition of AZOGEL®-based products, rich in N and organic matter, makes them “friends” of microbial populations in soil, plants and the environment.
From hydrolyzed gelatin AZOGEL® For industrial use, fertilizers with different physical properties can be produced, mainly in terms of particle shape and size.
Specifically, AZOGEL® can be found in several forms:
All AZOGEL-based products ® have a high presence of organic carbon and mainly organic nitrogen.
They differ because:
The addition of organic support to soil through acquisition is an industrial practice of fundamental importance to conserve and/or restore the fertility of cultivated land.
Organic matter is supported in the soil by a degradation process of a highly biological nature, through which the organic form of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc) is transformed into inorganic ones. The process is also known as mineralization of organic matter and is regulated by numerous factors of a chemical, physical and microbiological nature.
Precise knowledge of this process is of fundamental importance for correct management of the acquisition, from an agronomic point of view (rationalization of the time of administration of the application dose) and environmental point of view (for example, to reduce the loss of nitrate due to leaching).
Another distinctive feature of AZOGEL ® is to have a significant amount of protein nitrogen. However, not all proteins mineralize at the same rate in soil: the rate, under the same environmental conditions, depends crucially on the molecular complexity of the various proteins.
The nitrogen found in the complex protein structures of collagen may be available for plant absorption only after the mineralization processes of organic matter. Therefore, This fraction of N in the soil is naturally slow-release; in fact, its release is closely related to natural processes induced by the microbial population.
Photo: Image of the vials used at ILSA to evaluate nitrogen supply curves
Furthermore, the rate of mineralization and the subsequent availability of assimilable nitrogen in the soil are not constant throughout the year because they are, among other parameters, strongly influenced by temperature and soil water content.
Slow-release fertilizers therefore reduce leaching losses by gradually providing the nitrogen needed by crops throughout the entire vegetative cycle, thus helping to improve the soil's nitrogen balance.
To better understand the action of products on the soil and the dynamics of nitrogen release, ILSA developed a method for evaluating mineralization curves.
Nitrogen mineralization is a natural process that converts organic nitrogen into organic forms of ammoniacal nitrogen (NH4+) and nitric nitrogen (NO3-), which are used by plants. This process is carried out by soil microorganisms, and the metabolites (nitric and ammoniacal N) are the product of the decomposition of organic matter.
The nitrogen that can be mineralized is then determined in the laboratory after incubation for 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 14 weeks. The method involves incubating the soil under controlled temperature and humidity conditions.
The inorganic forms of ammoniacal and nitric nitrogen produced during incubation are extracted and determined by a colorimetric method.
The mineralization curve then represents the release of nitrogen that can be mineralized over time.
In the graph you can see the cumulative product curve Fertile and soil. The apparent cumulative curves are progressive curves, which also take into account the nitrogen supply from the mineralization of soil organic matter. Each point corresponds to a leaching and the interval is 15 days.
The test was carried out at constant temperature and % of field capacity (soil water level), using a mixture of sandy soil and technical quartz sand.
Specifically:
The speed of mineralization of an organic fertilizer in the soil depends on the chemical characteristics (e.g. chemical composition, chemical reaction, etc.) and – especially – physical characteristics (specific surface area, hydration capacity, etc.) that are capable of influencing, directly or indirectly, the activity of the soil microbial biomass.
It is well known that it is possible to produce fertilizers with very different physical properties, despite starting from the same matrix.
The various formulations differ mainly in the shape and size of the particles and can be described by a property: specific surface area . The specific surface area is the ratio between the surface area and the weight of the pellet. The specific surface area is, of course, the surface area that is exposed to the activity of the microbial biomass: the more it grows, the greater the substrate available (in equal weight) for the enzymes that degrade the organic matter.
However, it is not the only important property; in fact, the substrate must also provide a favorable environment for the growth and development of microbial biomass; in this sense, one of the most important properties is the hydration capacity, that is, absorbing water from the environment and retaining it.
Given the importance of these factors, water retention tests were carried out with the ILSA and in Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna University (Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences and Technologies) with specific studies on the water retention kinetics of products based on AZOGEL ® .
Water retention kinetics of pelleted product
In this case, the curve is presented with data processing according to a first-order equation. It is interesting to see how, after 8-10 hours, the water retention value is very close to that of saturation. It is also noted how at the zero point of the x-axis scale, the product
is already showing an interesting water retention value: this is an indicator of the product's wettability.
Water retention kinetics of granular product
Again, the curve is presented with data processing according to a first-order equation. It is interesting to see how, to reach a value close to saturation, a longer time is required than for the pelletized product. It is also noted how, at the zero point of the x-axis scale, the product is already showing an interesting water retention value: this is an indicator of the product's wettability.
Studies show that AZOGEL-based products ® They have excellent hydration capacity and, in both cases, a specific surface area that makes the microbial system intensely active.
Therefore, especially when taking into account its hydration rate, a light rain, irrigation or even abundant dew – in the case of surface administration – is enough for hydration to initiate the mineralization processes.
Therefore, depending on the soil, temperature and climatic conditions, the product can be chosen, in pellet or granular form, which allows the implementation of targeted strategies, in order to obtain maximum nutritional efficiency.
The role of temperature in the behavior of AZOGEL ®
Hydrolyzed jelly-based fertilizers for industrial use are organic nitrogen fertilizers that modulate over time the release of nitrogen forms that can be assimilated by plants. The protein nitrogen in gelatin can be used by plants, following mineralization processes capable of transforming it into mineral nitrogen (N-NH4 and N-NO3).
These processes:
These are experiments without ongoing crops, in soil without vegetation at two different temperatures. The control consists of unfertilized soil.
Graphical synthesis of experimental data.
We can observe that:
CONCLUSIONS
Soil can be considered a living system formed by numerous entities that:
Soil fertility is affected by all these environmental, physical and chemical factors related to plant nutrition and is closely related to soil organic matter, through the biological actions of microorganisms.
The level of microorganisms in the soil and the intensity of their activity depend on the presence of organic matter. Both are greatly influenced by the conditions of the system: soil-plant-environment. .
The various forms of soil fertility (physical, chemical and biological) are linked in a dynamic balance that is considerably affected by the quantity and quality of organic matter (natural and/or added).
The conditions that regulate the intensity of the vegetative stages of crops are the same that regulate the release of “hydrolyzed gelatin for agronomic use” produced by ILSA.
The oxidative processes of organic nitrogen matrices that occur in the soil are:
Carbon is an essential part of life on Earth and plays an important role in the biochemical structure and nutrition of all living cells.
To reproduce and function properly, an organism must have:
and two of the most common sources of cellular carbon for microorganisms are carbon dioxide, CO 2 and organic carbon.
Soil has a very limited potential for exchange with roots.
The rhizosphere is generated by the action of plants that modify their environment based on fundamental needs for their survival.
It differs substantially from the rest of the soil due to:
The rhizosphere is inhabited by a large and very active population, whose existence depends essentially on the organic compounds released into the soil by the roots.
High availability of soluble organic carbon in AZOGEL® ® ensures a highly active rhizosphere: a very important factor because bacteria feed on organic carbon and plants feed on the elements that bacteria and fungi provide them.
Living beings suffer constant energy loss (they absorb energy from the external world), as their vital activities produce forms of energy that are mostly unusable for metabolic purposes (e.g. heat).
The main form of energy in the environment is light.
Definitions…
AUTOTROPHS:
organisms that obtain energy from light (photoautotrophs). They are organisms that obtain energy from light (photoautotrophs). They transform carbon dioxide and nitrogen from the air into nitrates and mineral salts and convert them into organic matter. The most important autotrophs for the carbon cycle are the trees of continental forests and the phytoplankton in the oceans.
The photosynthesis reaction is 6CO 2 + 6H 2 O –> C6H 12 O6 + 6O 2
HETEROTROPHS
are unable to exploit light or inorganic substances. They are forced to ingest carbon and eventually nitrogen, using compounds synthesized by other living beings. The existence of heterotrophs requires producers of organic matter. Fungi and bacteria use organic waste and transform carbon into CO 2 when oxygen is present, and in CH 4 when oxygen is absent.
Organic nitrogen found in the complex collagen structures may be available for plant uptake as a result of natural processes of mineralization of organic matter. In these biochemical processes, such as decomposition of matter, biogeochemical cycles and transformation of organic matter, a key role is played by soil microorganisms.
For accurate and detailed information on how AZOGEL® affects soil bacterial populations,
applied microbiology studies were initiated.
This type of innovative study has two main areas:
1. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF BACTERIAL COMMUNITIES WITH ENUMERATION OF CULTURAL COLONIES
Photo: Colonies in Petri dish.
This makes it possible to calculate the total number of living cells and thus obtain general information about the consistency of the microbial communities in the soil system. The effects of colony development stimulation were monitored at 30, 60 and 90 days after incubation in order to assess a long period of microbial life.
2. MOLECULAR QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF BACTERIAL COMMUNITIES WITH GENE AMPLIFICATION BY 16S RIBOSOMAL RNA AND COMPARISON OF ELECTROPHORETIC PATTERNS WITH COMPUTER-ASSISTED IMAGE ANALYSIS AND STATISTICAL CLUSTER ANALYSIS
Photo: Electrophoretic gel of microbial communities at time 1 .
This type of analysis is very complex and ranges from rough soil to direct gene analysis. The total DNA content of soil microbial cells is extracted according to a precise protocol and then amplified by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). Profiles can be constructed from the results, the preparation of which results in the fingerprint of the microbial community, which is then processed by cluster analysis.
This type of reconstruction makes it possible to highlight which fertilizers induce the greatest qualitative similarities in microbial communities and, consequently, those fertilizers that have the most similar effects on soil microorganisms, whose mineralization they themselves trigger.
The first evaluation on soil-cultivable cells with AZOGEL ® showed a significant development of microbial populations, until obtaining a population that fluctuated around 100 million cultivable cells per g of dry soil. This then indicated that the soil microflora responded well to nitrogen and carbon stimuli
Graph: Result of the study of applied microbiology in bacterial populations
carried out in the laboratory of Prof. Squartini at the University of Padua.
Continuing the analysis, the true nitrogen mineralizers were searched in detail (via PCR).
Graph: Continuing the analysis, the true nitrogen mineralizers were searched in detail (via PCR).
Result of the applied microbiology study on the populations of nitrifying bacteria carried out in the laboratory of Prof. Squartini at the University of Padua, in relation to AZOGEL ® .
It is evident that after 30 days of incubation, the soil to which AZOGEL ® was applied presents an extremely higher number of nitrifying bacteria (key bacteria for the oxidative processes of nitrogen matrices) compared to the untreated soil. After 90 days of incubation, it can be observed that the number of cells in the control soil is reduced, while the product AZOGEL ® continues to support nitrifiers.
The results therefore indicate that soil microorganisms are supported in their growth by the use of AZOGEL ® , which becomes the main source of amino acids to build the proteins necessary for cell growth. In fact, although the main reserve of nitrogen is the atmosphere, most living organisms are not able to use elemental nitrogen to produce amino acids and other nitrogen compounds. Furthermore, the availability of nitrogen in the soil is often one of the factors that limit the growth of bacterial populations and plants.
Collagen studies in relation to microbial biodiversity
Soil nutrient cycling is affected by the activity of microorganisms, and soil fertility depends on the balance of organic matter controlled by microbial biomass.
Many studies have been conducted on the impact of collagen on soil microbial activity (although most of the work has been directed at assessing the impact on soil metabolic activity rather than characterizing microbial biomass from a phylogenetic point of view) (Editor's note: measuring variations in bacterial composition caused by an external agent).
However, a functional characterization (respirometry) does not allow to highlight changes in the composition of the microbial biomass. In fact, the microbial biomass can maintain its own efficiency unchanged in the short period, while causing a loss of efficiency in the long period.
Thanks to molecular techniques developed methodologically in the last decade, a study of the problem was prepared. The work was on the molecular characterization of microbial communities created in the presence of hydrolyzed gelatin and on the metabolic fingerprint of microorganisms.
► RESULTS
ANALYSIS OF MICROBIAL COMMUNITY IN FERTILIZED SOIL
The effects of fertilization processes on the composition of soil microbial communities were evaluated using molecular DNA assessment techniques.
Two types of soil were treated with three different fertilizers:
After 0, 60 and 120 days, samples were collected for molecular evaluation.
► RESULTS
The production process of Hydrolyzed Gelatin
The production process required to the AZOGEL ® , characterized by total control of each parameter, was defined by ILSA: FCH ® FULLY CONTROLLED HYDROLYSIS .
Collagen-rich leathers are stored in appropriate areas and then placed in reactors, where they undergo thermal hydrolysis....
FCH ® FULLY CONTROLLED HYDROLYSIS is an exclusive ILSA process.
AZOGEL ® when used in the formulation of organomineral fertilizers with mineral nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium, it modifies the behavior of mineral elements in the soil and increases its nutritional efficiency.
AZOGEL ® It has all the characteristics of a natural colloid, complexing nutrient elements, with both specific chemical and physical bonds.
AZOGEL ® quickly binds one of its parts to industrial waste in the soil (e.g. lignin) to create humus.
AZOGEL ® and macroelements present:
The solubilization of AZOGEL ® and its slow mineralization act on urea nitrogen to:
Advantages and benefits:
Plants can use phosphorus only in the form of soluble phosphate. Phosphorus absorption by active roots only occurs through the complexation of soluble phosphate with organic compounds in which the rhizosphere is rich. In the presence of calcium carbonates and basic soils, soluble phosphates are rapidly (within a few weeks) “retrograded” into inert forms for plant nutrition.
The complexation of phosphorus with AZOGEL ® has useful effects aimed at:
The advantages of phosphate AZOGEL ® complexed are appreciable in all growing environments:
The benefits compared to traditional phosphate minerals:
Potassium exists in the soil in several forms in balance with each other:
K+ in solution <> K+ readily exchangeable <> K+ not readily exchangeable <> K+ fixed.
Potassium in solution is leachable.
Exchangeable potassium is related to the exchange capacity of soil colloids (organic matter and clay).
This element, normally present in high total quantities, has seen its exchangeable quotient fall over the last few decades due to the reduction in the organic matter content of cultivated lands. This quotient is derived from what is weakly adsorbed by soil colloids and what can be released into solution.
Reducing soil moisture increases the ability of clays to retain potassium. Clays with older “structures” can irreversibly fix potassium.
AZOGEL complexed potassium ® forms colloidal bonds that progressively release potassium, depending on mineralization of AZOGEL ® . This translates into potassium remaining available for longer periods, with its nutritional efficiency therefore doubled.
Perfil Energia has been in the energy market for over 18 years, serving customers from various regions of Brazil. Through its SUSTAINABLE PROFILE program, it certifies organizations by accounting for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regulated by the Kyoto Protocol that will no longer be emitted by the customer who joins the free contracting environment (ACL).
ILSA BRASIL aims to transform the way we preserve and feed the planet, seeking to develop our products in a sustainable way, contributing to the healthy growth of the market in which we operate. In this way, we have joined the SUSTAINABLE PROFILE PROGRAM, which allows us to meet two sustainable development goals established by the UN:
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11 – Sustainable cities and communities
12 – Responsible consumption and production
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In 20223, with the purchase of energy in the Free Contracting Environment, originating from renewable sources, we stopped emitting:
56,317 t of CO², the equivalent of 2,559 trees planted
