Alginate microbead to mitigate microplastic pollution

IF 2.3 4区化学 Q3 CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL

Colloid and Polymer Science Pub Date : 2025-06-05 DOI:10.1007/s00396-025-05451-2

Tania Dey, Miryam Castillo Espinosa, Laurence Ho

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Abstract

One way to mitigate microplastic pollution from pharmaceutical and cosmetic products is to develop nature-based ‘green’ microcapsules. This study involves in situ microencapsulation of therapeutic tea tree essential oil by brown algae-derived alginate biopolymer using classic external ionotropic gelation. The effects of type of divalent crosslinkers (calcium and barium ions), presence/absence of surfactant in oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion and molecular weight of alginate were investigated using gravimetry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), shear rheometry, ultraviolet (UV) and infrared spectroscopy. Microcapsules were ~ 1 mm in diameter. Barium chloride crosslinker showed highest gel strength (8396 ± 306 Pa) and large pores on surface (59.9 ± 9.1 µm). Presence of surfactant lowered the gel strength (182.6 ± 100.5 Pa) and had smaller pore size (20.3 ± 2.6 µm). Microcapsules with no surfactant, calcium chloride crosslinker and low viscosity alginate showed optimum gel strength (3620.8 ± 141.5 Pa) and smooth surface. An interplay exists between loading capacity (proportional to pore size) and encapsulation efficiency (compromised by surface oil and water-soluble oil components). Life cycle analysis (LCA) shows significant reduction in global warming and ecotoxicity. This project supports eight Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of United Nations and promotes blue economy.

Graphical Abstract

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藻酸盐微珠减轻微塑料污染

减轻药品和化妆品造成的微塑料污染的一种方法是开发基于自然的“绿色”微胶囊。本研究采用经典的外离子化凝胶法，用褐藻衍生的藻酸盐生物聚合物原位微胶囊化茶树精油。采用重量法、扫描电镜（SEM）、剪切流变法、紫外光谱（UV）和红外光谱（ir）研究了二价交联剂（钙钡离子）类型、表面活性剂的存在/不存在以及海藻酸盐的分子量对水包油（o/w）乳液的影响。微胶囊直径约1mm。氯化钡交联剂凝胶强度最高（8396±306 Pa），表面孔隙较大（59.9±9.1µm）。表面活性剂的存在降低了凝胶强度（182.6±100.5 Pa），减小了孔隙尺寸（20.3±2.6µm）。无表面活性剂、氯化钙交联剂和低粘度海藻酸盐的微胶囊凝胶强度为3620.8±141.5 Pa，表面光滑。载荷能力（与孔径成正比）和包封效率（受表面油和水溶性油成分的影响）之间存在相互作用。生命周期分析（LCA）显示全球变暖和生态毒性显著降低。该项目支持联合国八个可持续发展目标，促进蓝色经济。图形抽象

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来源期刊

Colloid and Polymer Science 化学-高分子科学

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

4.20%

发文量

111

审稿时长

2.2 months

期刊介绍： Colloid and Polymer Science - a leading international journal of longstanding tradition - is devoted to colloid and polymer science and its interdisciplinary interactions. As such, it responds to a demand which has lost none of its actuality as revealed in the trends of contemporary materials science.