Paper Title
PRODUCTION CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT OF SLOW-RELEASE UREA USING POLYSTYRENE/POLYCAPROLACTONE BIO BLEND COATINGS AND ITS CHARACTERIZATION

Abstract
Abstract - The development of pharmaceutical technology is very rapid, especially in producing slow-release products. Pharmaceutical products are not only medicines but also slow-release fertilizers which are useful for efficiency in providing nutrition and reducing side effects due to the use of conventional fertilizers. This study aims to increase the production capacity of slow-release urea from the polystyrene/polycaprolactone bio blend formula (3:1) which was the best formula in previous studies to 10, 20, 40, and 80 times. In this study, characterization tests were carried out including coating efficiency measurements, granule size distribution, granule surface morphology (using the Scanning Electron Microscope/SEM) method), coating thickness measurements, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), release tests on water, soil, and mud media as well as determination of urea concentration . The results showed that the coating efficiencies of formulas 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 76.55, 85.05, 90.99, and 93.29%, respectively. The measuring results of the granule size distribution for each formula were distributed from 1.5 to 3.6 mm. The SEM results showed that the coating surface was smooth, compact, and a few small grains appeared as if they were not fused. The coating thickness measurement for each formula is 47.5; 78.3; 82.6; and 109.9 µm. The DSC results showed that the melting points of polystyrene/polycaprolactone bio blend were 56.18ºC and 62.13ºC, whereas the melting points of urea with polystyrene/polycaprolactone bio blend were 136.33ºC and 190.14ºC. The FTIR results of slow-release urea are similar to those of the urea spectrum. Release test results in water, soil and mud media showed slower release compared to ordinary urea. It can be concluded that the increase in the production capacity of slow-release urea polystyrene/polycaprolactone bio blend does not affect the characteristics and release of urea compared to previous studies. Keywords - Slow-Release Urea, Capacity Increase, Bioblend, Polystrene, Polycaprolactone