Doctoral Themes

SUSeeds: Sustainable Biopolymer-based Coatings for Seeds

Supervisors

Alexander Kirillov, kirillov@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

Ana Catarina Sousa, acsousa@deq.isel.ipl.pt

Manuel Francisco Pacheco Coelho, coelho@iseg.ulisboa.pt

Registration Institution

Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa

Project description

SUSeeds project focuses on the development of new films or multifunctional capsules based on biodegradable biopolymers to coat different types of seeds. The multibillion worldwide market for coated seeds seeks for new sustainable solutions promoting the use of natural polymers for developing functional biomaterials that are environmentally sustainable, produced by clean methodologies, and inserted in the contexts of Green Chemistry & Sustainability. The use of biopolymers as a coating or adhesive component in seeds is important in different aspects such as protection against pests, diseases, accumulation of mycotoxins, and adverse environmental conditions. Important feature also concerns the gain in robustness, which gives a uniformity to seeds and improves their handling in sowing machines. The seed coating consists of depositing a thin layer of biodegradable polymeric film on the seed surface, while the encapsulation of seeds comprises the formation of a capsule containing filling, adhesive and covering. The biopolymer material can be used in conjunction with other components, thus adding to physical protection of seeds and giving biological protection perspective (antimicrobial action).

Main objectives of SUSeeds are: (1) preparation of multifunctional formulations and coatings based on biodegradable biopolymers (cellulose acetate, chitosan, polymerized soybean oil, corn oil resin) doped with antimicrobial coordination compounds, using film coating and encapsulation techniques; (2) physico-chemical, mechanical and biological (antibacterial, antifungal) characterization of coatings; (3) production of coated (soybean and corn) and encapsulated (tomato) seeds, followed by germination and vigor tests; (4) risk management, optimization, and assessment of economical and sustainability indicators. SUSeeds is a multidisciplinary project that merges expertise of supervisors in synthetic chemistry (antimicrobial dopants, CQE/IST), biopolymer & materials chemistry (coatings, DEQ/ISEL), sustainability & economics (ISEG/UL).

Keywords

Bio-based polymers; Multifunctional coatings; Antimicrobial materials; Sustainable chemistry

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