Study of the controlled release of agricultural pesticides to minimize environmental contamination

• Grant number: 24/14277-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Marystela Ferreira
• Grantee: Victoria Midori Katata
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências e Tecnologias para a Sustentabilidade (CCTS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Brazil leads the global consumption of agricultural pesticides, facing challengesrelated to sustainability and environmental impacts. Atrazine, a herbicide widely used, it is the third most applied in the country, known for its persistence in the soil and potential contamination of water resources. Carbendazim, in turn, it was banned in 2022 due to cumulative toxicity and harmful effects on human health, but it is still found in crops due to indiscriminate use and lack of effective supervision. This project aims to develop core-shell structures forcontrolled release of these pesticides, seeking greater efficiency and lower environmental impact. The lignin nanoparticle will be used as a core, encapsulating the agricultural pesticides, while starch and chitosan will be tested as a shell,providing additional protection and modulation of release. The encapsulation of agricultural assets will allow the use of reduced concentrations and mitigate the leaching of active compounds. Lignin nanoparticles will be produced by ultrasound, anti-solvent and emulsion, and characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering(DLS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR),Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Absorption Spectroscopy in Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis). The core-shell will be characterized using MET, the Low Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) and with FTIR coupled to ATR. Studies release will be conducted under UV-C light, pH and temperature variations, and complemented by electrochemical analyzes for precise detection of pesticides (AU)