SBIR Phase I: Biodegradable Microencapsulation for Agrochemicals

About This Grant

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to develop biodegradable microencapsulation technology for agrochemicals. Microencapsulation technology is used for dispersion and controlled-delivery in certain agrochemicals. However, traditional microencapsulation materials in these products made from non-biodegradable polymers can cause microplastic pollution, which has become a critical environmental concern. The agrochemical sector has an urgent need for new microencapsulation technology with biodegradable materials. This project explores using plant-based materials to replace the plastic-based materials in traditional process, and expands the capability to encapsulate a broader range of agrochemicals with different properties. Compared to other emerging solutions, the proposed technology provides competitive cost and environmentally-friendly procedure. In addition to meeting the regulatory requirement, it can benefit a large potential market by reducing the degradation and runoff of agrochemicals in the field to ensure high efficiency. By using microencapsulation to extend the retention time and enable the slow-release process, the proposed technology can make more effective use of agrochemicals while substantially mitigating their impact. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project involves creating microencapsulation methods with plant-based biodegradable materials to encapsulate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic agrochemical ingredients. Conventional technologies for encapsulating oil-based ingredients use interfacial polymerization mechanism. Given that a limited number of chemical reactions can form a polymer layer at water/oil interface, the resulting shell materials are prevalently non-biodegradable polymers. The proposed technology is based on a new mechanism with an amphiphilic polymer crosslinked in situ to form the shell. The materials are derived from natural materials such as polysaccharides and fatty acids that have intrinsic biodegradability. To encapsulate hydrophilic compounds, this project will explore bilayer shell structure and coacervation methods. The encapsulation will be based on the factors of electrical charge, polarity or steric effect of the molecules. In order to control the release profile, the thickness of the shell will be adjusted by tuning the materials ratio and polymer structure. The stability of the microcapsule materials will be studied to ensure adequate shelf life. This project provides new scientific insights to develop microencapsulation technology with natural materials, with direct impact to address critical challenges for current agrochemical industry. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.