SBIR Phase I: Lignin-Based Formulations for Efficient and Sustainable Control of Plant Pathogens

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力包括开发一种连续的制造工艺，以生产更大批量的下一代农用化学品化合物。虽然第一个重点是利用有效提供抗微生物和抗真菌作物保护化学品，但该平台可应用于具有其他功能的活性物质和生物制剂。这项研究和开发工作的更广泛意义包括以下几个方面：首先，除了农业作物保护产品外，这里开发的输送系统预计将在针对消费者、建筑市场和医疗保健的许多产品中找到商业应用。第二，良性小结构的形成有可能在各种工业环境中取代广泛的持久性和有害的纳米颗粒，这将增强对纳米尺度上可扩展过程的科学和技术理解。第三，该项目开发的可持续解决方案可以加强现有的自然资源，提高美国食品供应的生物安全，并改善公共卫生。SBIR第一阶段项目旨在设计一个创新系统，以有效提供农业活性物质。为了提高生产力，目前的农业实践使用大量的作物保护化学品。然而，农用化学品的大量使用造成了环境威胁，破坏了自然资源，并可能导致气候变化。为了应对这些挑战，我们正在开发创新的突破性平台技术，这些技术有可能在保护环境的同时，以相同或更少的投入提高农业效率。这项工作的目标是基于广泛可用的、可生物降解和生物可再生的资源木质素，创造一类可扩展的、功能活性的、可持续的和生态友好的新材料。该项目的第一个目标是建立一个连续流工艺，用于制备用少量活性杀生物剂功能化的木质素颗粒。本研究将确定这些制剂连续配制的可行性。该研究的第二个目的包括使用一系列抗微生物和抗真菌试验表征新制剂。作为第1阶段工作的结果，将通过确定第2阶段田间研究的最有希望的制剂来降低技术风险。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project encompasses the development of a continuous fabrication process to enable production of larger volumes of the next generation of agrochemical compounds. Although the first focus is on utilization for efficient delivery of antimicrobial and antifungal crop protection chemicals, this platform can be applied for actives and biologicals with other functionalities. The broader significance of this research and development effort entails the following aspects: First, in addition to agricultural crop protection products, the delivery system developed here is expected to find commercial applications in many products targeted to the consumer, construction markets, and healthcare. Second, the formulation of benign small structures that have the potential to replace a wide range of persistent and harmful nanoparticles in various industrial settings will enhance scientific and technological understanding of scalable processes on the nanoscale. Third, the sustainable solutions developed in this project could strengthen existing natural resources, enhance biosecurity of the U.S. food supply, and improve public health. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to engineer an innovative system for efficient delivery of agricultural actives. To increase productivity, current agricultural practices utilize large amounts of crop protection chemicals. However, the intensive use of agrochemicals creates environmental threats damaging natural resources and potentially causing climate change. To address these challenges we are developing innovative, breakthrough platform technology with potential to increase efficiency of farming with the same or fewer inputs, while protecting the environment. The goal of this work is to create a new class of scalable, functionally active, sustainable and eco-friendly materials based on the widely available, biodegradable and bio-renewable resource lignin. The first objective of the project is to build a continuous flow process for preparation of lignin particles functionalized with small amounts of active biocides. This research will establish feasibility for continuous formulation of these preparations. The second objective of the study includes characterization of the new formulations using a series of antimicrobial and antifungal assays. As a result of the Phase 1 effort, technical risk will be reduced by identifying the most promising formulations for field studies to be conducted in Phase 2.