Some types of pesticides are being criticized for their impact on the environment and on various organisms. The pesticide currently under fire is neonicotinoid, which is being blamed for the demise of bees. Luckily, nanoparticles may be able to change all that.
Recently, researchers at North Carolina State University announced they may have created a new type of nanoparticle that is environmentally safe while still being able to kill off desired bacteria, according to the Voice of America.
A familiar face
This is not the first time nanoparticles have been used in the agriculture industry. Many farmers use silver-based nanoparticles in hopes of killing off bacteria and types of fungi on their crops. Certain bacteria such as e.Coli can be dangerous if brought into the marketplace and shared with other fruits and vegetables. However, this type of nanoparticle may not be as beneficial as it seems. Even though the nanoparticles are able to attach to microbes and destroy them, they also can dissolve and release metallic silver into the environment. It is this metallic that might be harmful to other beneficial pests and even humans.
Researchers now have a way of avoiding that. Orlin Velev, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State, and his student Alexander Richter, Ph.D., were able to replace the harmful silver component of the nanoparticles with lignin, which is found naturally in most plants. This new type of nanoparticle is known as EbNPs. They still have silver ions that are able to attach to those pesky microbes and kill them, but they also dissolve naturally into the environment without harming plants or people.
"By doing so, we could actually make the nanoparticles keep their functionality but make them degradable while also reducing the amount of the silver core in the nanoparticle system," Richter told the news source.
Removing all types of bacteria
Nanoparticles have been getting a lot of media attention lately. Recently, biodegradeable nanoparticles were linked to taking pollutants out of water. Scientists at MIT and the University of of Regensburg, Germany recently used the dissolving nanoparticles to remove contaminants from the water without leaving any bacteria or organic matter behind. The scientific breakthrough may help those desperately searching for ways to produce clean water.
The researchers from NC State know how versatile biodegradable nanoparticles can be. They hope to use their nanoparticles in products such as personal items and disinfectants in the future.
