The granulation of organic fertilizer is a common processing method in agriculture, primarily driven by the following considerations:

1. Enhancing Physical Properties for Mechanized Operations

• Uniform Application: Granular organic fertilizer flows smoothly, enabling precise application via seeders, spreaders, and other equipment, avoiding issues like powder drift or uneven distribution.
• Reduced Caking: Raw materials (e.g., livestock manure, straw) tend to absorb moisture and cake, while granulation improves structural stability for smoother mechanized handling.

2. Controlling Nutrient Release for Improved Efficiency

• Slow-Release Effect: Granules can achieve gradual nutrient release through coating technologies (e.g., adding humic acid or microbial agents) or porous designs, aligning with crop growth cycles and minimizing nutrient loss (e.g., nitrogen volatilization, phosphorus fixation).
• Balanced Supply: Granulation allows blending of multiple ingredients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace elements) to ensure synchronized nutrient release, preventing excess or deficiency of single nutrients.

3. Optimizing Storage and Transportation

• Reduced Volume: High-density granules occupy less space, lowering transportation costs.
• Moisture and Pest Resistance: Processing may include moisture-proof agents or high-temperature sterilization, extending shelf life and reducing storage losses.

4. Integrating Functional Components for Added Value

• Compound Formulations: Granulation facilitates the addition of microbial agents, biostimulants, or other functional ingredients, creating composite organic fertilizers with enhanced soil-improving or disease-resistant effects.
• Standardized Production: Uniform granule sizes simplify quality control and packaging, meeting modern agriculture’s demand for standardized products.

5. Market and User Experience

• High Acceptance: Granules’ neat appearance and ease of measurement (e.g., fixed per-acre dosage) appeal to farmers.
• Odor Reduction: Processing can mitigate odors from raw materials (e.g., animal manure) through high-temperature fermentation or deodorizing agents.

Potential Challenges

• Processing Costs: Additional equipment (e.g., granulators, dryers) may increase production expenses.
• Environmental Adaptability: Granule size must match soil type (e.g., small particles for sandy soils, large particles for clay soils) to avoid affecting decomposition rates.

Conclusion

Granulation optimizes organic fertilizers for large-scale, precision agriculture by improving physical properties, nutrient efficiency, and user experience, while balancing environmental and economic benefits. This process has become a key trend in the industrialization of organic fertilizers.