Lignin-based microcapsule for pesticide delivery: A review

Pesticide microencapsulation technology plays a pivotal role in promoting pesticide reduction, enhancing efficacy, and fostering sustainable agriculture by improving targeted delivery, prolonging duration, and minimizing environmental impact. The encapsulation wall material, as the core component, critically determines the performance of the microcapsules. As a naturally abundant and renewable biomass resource, lignin has shown significant potential for constructing eco-friendly microcapsule pesticide delivery systems owing to its low cost, biodegradability, abundant reactive functional groups, and excellent ultraviolet shielding performance. This review comprehensively summarizes the structural characteristics, separation and extraction techniques, and modification strategies of lignin. Subsequently, microencapsulation technologies compatible with lignin are critically analyzed, with detailed comparisons of their mechanisms, advantages, limitations, and applicability. The application progress of lignin-based microcapsules in pesticide delivery is discussed, and prospects for future development in this field are outlined.