Biopolymer‐Nanocomposite Hybrid Materials as Potential Strategy to Remove Pesticides in Water: Occurrence and Perspectives

Abstract

Nations (FAO) estimates that approximately 40% of food crops are lost each year to plant pests and diseases. [2] These losses result in a shortfall in crop yields for sufficient food production, causing significant economic consequences. [1,2] Over the years, various anthropogenic activities, together with climate change, have led to alterations in ecosystems that cause considerable damage in areas such as agriculture. The reduction in biodiversity and the creation of new niches are some of these effects that allow, among other things, the rapid spread of pests. [1,2] Therefore, plant protection in agricultural crops is crucial for avoiding the impacts caused by devastating pests and diseases.Agricultural activities face the dual challenges of, on the one hand, becoming more productive and, on the other hand, reducing their impacts on the environment as much as possible. In the case of the former, the use of chemical products such as pesticides is often essential for the control of crop diseases and pests, [2][3][4] improving crop yields and providing greater food security for society. However, although the use of pesticides brings important benefits, including reduced crop damage and, consequently, increased food quality and quantity, these substances have detrimental effects on the environment. [5][6][7] One of the negative effects of the use of chemical pesticides in agricultural systems is the impact on water resources, [1,7] depending on factors including the nature of the compound used, the mode of application, and climatic variations. [1,7] The low degradability of pesticides enables them to accumulate in the soil or to be transported to surface water and groundwater, causing further environmental damage. Although the soil is the main receptor medium for these chemicals, water resources including rivers, streams, lakes, and groundwater are highly susceptible to contamination, due to the interconnection between water bodies and soil. The persistence of these compounds resulting from agricultural practices in hydrographic basins is a threat to human health. [1,4,7] Contamination of groundwater by pesticides and their residues is recognized as a problem in both advanced and developing countries. [2,8] Consequently, the scientific community faces a continuous challenge to develop suitable materials, together with new and more efficient technologies, for the

Dimethyl 2‐Methylglutarate (Iris): A Green Platform for Efficient Liquid‐Phase Exfoliation of 2D Materials

“…The emergence of 2D materials [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] had a tremendous impact on the scientific research, in consideration of the unique properties and their broad technological prospect in photonics, [9] flexible electronics, [10] nanocomposites, [11,12] (photo)electrocatalysis, [13][14][15] supercapacitors, [16,17] functional coatings, [18] (bio)sensors, [19] and desalination. [11,[20][21][22]…”