Effect of the Coating of the Polymer Blend (Polyacrylamide/PEG 6000) on the Efficiency of Rice Husk as a Pesticide Carrier

Abstract

In recent years the utilization of fibers and powders derived from agricultural sources has become a subject of interest. However, they have been exploited only from an engineering point of view, and the strong ability of agricultural wastes as a carrier for agrochemical formulations has been ignored. A study has been made on the possibility of using such an agrochemical waste, namely rice husk, which is readily available and biodegradable, as a carrier for pesticide formulation. The solid formulations were prepared by adsorbing deltamethrin on the rice husk. The deltamethrin‐adsorbed rice husk is then coated with the polymer blend of Polyacrylamide and PEG 6000 in varying ratios between the deltamethrin‐adsorbed rice husk and the polymer blend. The formulations were characterized by analytical methods such as FTIR and XRD techniques. Important physical properties from the formulation standpoint, such as solubility, dispersion stability, and wettability, were studied.

Keywords:

• Deltamethrin
• husk
• XRD
• dissolution rate study
• pesticide formulation

Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank TIFR, Mumbai for extending its XRD facility to us.