Development of a Lignin-Based Carrier - Citronella Oil Nanoemulsion and Its Utilization as an Herbicide against Specific Weed Species.

This research aims to create an emulsion formulation utilizing lignin as a carrier and citronella oil for its application as a herbicide. The formulation composition includes lignin solution 55-62%v/v, Tween 80 25%w/v, propylene glycol 10%w/v, and citronella oil 3-10%w/v. The preparation steps involve preparing the oil phase by mixing tween 80 surfactant, propylene glycol, and citronella oil; preparing the aqueous phase by mixing lignin into distilled water at pH 12 with stirring; mixing the oil phase and the water phase accompanied by stirring at 5000-10000 rpm for 1-5 minutes until a stable solution is formed as a natural herbicide. The application outcomes revealed that the formulation successfully eliminated specific weeds within two to three days at the maximum concentration of 10%, leaving no detectable herbicide residue after 7 and 15 days of treatment. The result demonstrates how green technology has the capacity to replace herbicides derived from chemicals, especially in the agricultural sector.

Current roles of lignin for the agroindustry: Applications, challenges, and opportunities.

Lignin has the potential to be used as an additive, coating agent, fertilizer, plant growth stimulator, and packaging material in the agroindustry due to its functional aromatic structure. The quantitative measurement of functional groups is a significant element of the research for lignin structure since they directly impact their optical, dispersion, and chemical properties. These physical and chemical properties of lignin strongly depend on its type and source and its isolation procedure. Thus, lignin provides numerous opportunities for the circular economy in the agroindustry; however, studying and resolving the challenges associated with its separation, purification, and modification is required. This review discusses the most recent findings on lignin use in agroindustry and historical facts about lignin. The properties of lignin and its roles as coating agents, pesticide carriers, plant growth stimulators, and soil-improving agents have been summarized. The emerging challenges in the field of lignin-based agroindustry are considered, and potential future steps to overcome these challenges are discussed.

Preparation and characterization of cellulose nanofiber cryogels as oil absorbents and enzymatic lipolysis scaffolds.

Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) materials have received much attention as sustainable "green" materials with high mechanical properties. Their application in oil absorption and enzymatic lipolysis makes them further attractive from the perspective of environmental issues including marine pollution preservation. Herein, we prepared CNF cryogels with various surface properties, evaluated their capacities as oil absorbents and applied them as lipase-lipolysis scaffolds. Their obtained cryogels consisted of various modified CNFs and their structure and properties were investigated. Moreover, lipase-supported CNF cryogels were prepared for enzymatic lipolysis. The cryogels of protonated TEMPO-oxidized CNF showed the highest absorption capacity for olive oil, while all the CNF cryogels possessed similar absorption abilities towards water. In enzymatic lipolysis with lipase, the TEMPO-oxidized CNF (TOCN-Na+) cryogel showed the highest specific activity. The specific activities of lipase in TOCN-Na+ cryogels remained unchanged after being stored at 40 °C for 3 days.