Synthesis of sucrose based hydrogels to release pesticides in model systems

Abstract

Hydrogels have been used as controlled release systems of fertilizers and pesticides in the soil. The reduction of the loss of these inputs by leaching or evaporation is the main economic and environmental advantage established by the use of these materials. Thus, the aim of this project is to evaluate the potential use of hydrogels produced from sucrose as systems conditioners pesticides. After synthesized, hydrogels are kept in different swelling mediums, including water, saline solutions, and buffered in order to evaluate the influence of these variables on the degree of swelling of the polymers. Solutions of the herbicide diuron also are used as a medium of swelling and the kinetic parameters of hydrogels are studied individually for each medium previously mentioned. The release kinetics, as well as the quantification of herbicide released from the swollen polymer, will be monitored by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Furthermore, spectroscopic studies by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) be performed in the dry system in order to study the interaction between the two components of the system (polymer and herbicide). In parallel, studies will be conducted with the polymer produced from polyacrylamide in order to compare the efficiency of the use of the two hydrogels evaluated. (AU)