Scientists develop “nanosponge” to remove pesticides from water
Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide widely used in agriculture and veterinary medicine, highly soluble in water and resistant to soil.
From left to right: Artur J.M. Valente, Dina Murtinho, Gianluca Utzeri, Tânia F. Cova, Alberto A.C.C. Pais
© DR
English version: Diana Taborda
A research team of the Coimbra Chemistry Centre (CQC) – Department of Chemistry (DQ) of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra (FCTUC) – has developed an efficient method with a low environmental impact to remove imidacloprid pesticide from water using porous materials based on cyclodextrin nanosponges.
Imidacloprid is a water-soluble neonicotinoid insecticide, widely used in both agricultural and veterinary applications. It persists in the soil, with hazardous effects on birds, honeybees, earthworms and mammals, as it can easily contaminate soil and water resources near agricultural areas.
In order to remove this pesticide effectively, the researchers used a “novel approach, which includes removal studies, to synthesise and characterise new complex molecular structures formed through the aggregation of smaller molecules, which bind together through weak chemical bonds. This approach is combined with molecular modelling and simulation to tackle pesticide contamination of water.”, explain Gianluca Utzeri and Tânia Firmino Cova, CQC researchers and co-authors of the study.
The researchers add that the method developed in this study "can also be used to remove other pesticides and organic pollutants from water as well as help control environmental pollution through targeted and controlled remediation processes".
The study “Insights on macro- and microscopic interactions between Confidor and cyclodextrin-based nanosponges” is available here.