Esterified lignin nanoparticles for pesticide delivery to plant leaves Matilda Andersson , Liyang Liu, Mika Sipponen Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Stockholm University, Sweden One of the major technical lignin is kraft lignin, obtained as a by-product from the black liquor from kraft pulping [1] . Due to many advantageous properties of lignin such as antimicrobial activities, UV-resistant properties [2] , biodegradability [3], and presence of many active functional groups [4] , it makes lignin a suitable candidate for the development of versatile renewable materials. One sector in need of these renewable materials is the agriculture sector. As reported by the United Nations, by 2025 the world population will be 9.7 billion people and thus food security will become a pressing issue [5] . To meet the increased need for food, agricultural practices will be intensified and thus increasing the use of agricultural chemicals such as pesticides. But this will come with the cost of negatively affecting the nearby environment [6] . Therefore, our goal is to develop hybrid nanocarriers by combining lignin and non-food long-chained fatty acids for a more efficient use of the pesticides. By preparing lignin nanoparticles using esterified kraft lignin and nanoprecipitation, it is possible to synthesise spherical nanoparticles with a hydration barrier composed of fatty acid chains as previously reported by our group [7] . Our current efforts aim to evaluate the adhesion forces between the hydration barrier and epicuticular wax on the surface of plant leaves. The objective is to ensure stable carriers when exposed to various weather conditions. References 1. Chio, M. Sain and W. Qin, Renewable and sustainable energy reviews . 2019 , 107, 232-249. 2. Figueiredo, K. Lintinen, J. T. Hirvonen, M. A. Kostiainen, H. A. Santos, Progress in Materials Science . 2018 , 93, 233Cui, L, Wang, Z, Zeng, Y, Yang, N, Liu, M, Zhao, Y, Zheng, Y. 2022 Lignin Biodegradation and Its Valorization. Fermentation , 8, 366Farooq, T. Zou, G. Riviere, M. H. Sipponen and M. Österberg, Biomacromolecules, 2019 , 20, 693 United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2022 , World Population Prospects 2022: Summary of Results. 3. UN DESA/POP/2022/TR/NO.3.Mahmood, S.R. Imadi, K. Shazadi, A. Gul, K.R. Hakeem, 2016 , Effects of Pesticides on Environment. In: Plant, Soil and Microbes . Springer, Cham. Moreno, J. Liu, R. Gueret, S. E. Hadi, L. Bergström, A. Slabon, M. H. Sipponen, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021 , 60 , 20897
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