DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v25i2.32

Keywords: Tebuconazole-loaded chitosan nanoparticle; chitosan polymer; nanoprecipitation; bamboo treatment; hydrodynamic particle size; loading efficiency

Abstract

Tebuconazole performs well as a fungicide but poor water solubility requires alternative delivery methods in vacuum pressure treatments. This can be mitigated by incorporating tebuconazole into chitosan nanoparticles to improve water solubility and delivery. Tebuconazole-loaded chitosan nanoparticle was successfully synthesised via nanoprecipitation. Semantan bamboo (Gigantochloa scortechinii) samples were treated with the aqueous suspension of the nanoparticles via vacuum pressure treatment at 100 psi and 120 min. The bamboo sample was found to possess a good treatability at 250.2 ± 8.87 Lm-3 and high chemical retention of 5.55 ± 0.51 kgm-3. The tebuconazole-loaded chitosan nanoparticles significantly reduced the percentage weight loss of untreated bamboo from the anti-fungi test, from 22.34 ± 7.97 % to 0.092 ± 0.18 %. The results from this study have shown that the chitosan polymetric nanoparticles can behave as carriers to introduce the tebuconazole into bamboo using vacuum pressure treatment, providing an outstanding resistance against white rot fungi (Trametes versicolor).