Kinetic model studies of controlled nutrient release and swelling behavior of combo hydrogel using Acer platanoides cellulose

•A Controlled release combo hydrogel (CRCH) was fabricated using APC.•Fertilizers ( N, P) were coated with CRCH for controlled release of nutrients.•Korsmeyer-Peppas model describes the non-fickian mechanism for H2O, N & P diffusion.•Higuchi model data seems more fitted while 1st order model is not fitted well.•CRCH showed 88.8%, 74.4% & 60.1% swelling ratio in deionized, tap water and 0.9%NaCl.•Controlled release profile showed that Phosphorus has slower release than nitrogen.