Researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil have developed a strategy for removing glyphosate, one of the world's most frequently used herbicides, from water. Inspired by the concept of the circular economy, the technique is based on sugarcane bagasse, a waste material produced by sugar and ethanol plants.
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Left: solution containing cellulose extracted from sugarcane bagasse. Right: fibers in contact with material contaminated by glyphosate and submitted to the method for determining glyphosate levels at different pHs. Credit: Maria Vitória Guimarães Leal
"Isolated and chemically functionalized sugarcane bagasse fibers can be used as adsorbent material. Glyphosate adheres to its surface and is removed as a water contaminant by filtration, decantation or centrifugation," Maria Vitória Guimarães Leal, told Agência FAPESP.
She is the first author of an article on the research published in the journal Pure and Applied Chemistry. Adsorption is a process whereby molecules dispersed in a liquid or gaseous medium adhere to a solid insoluble surface, which is typically porous.
Owing to its low cost and high potential to raise crop yields, glyphosate is widely used to control the growth of unwanted plants, such as weeds, invasive species and agricultural pests, but scientific studies have…
José Tadeu Arantes
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