Mitigating the agrochemicals impact on environmental pollution: the role of lignin as a slow-releasing platform

The world has observed a surge in population, driving high demand for quality food and clean water. It is of utmost importance that producers strive for improved soil health and increased productivity while utilising safe fertilizers, pest control, and other practices. Agrochemicals are a known solution to food security, but their excessive use may cause unintended economic losses by polluting soil, air, and water. The detrimental effects of these synthetic agrochemicals can only be minimized and/or eliminated by adopting new agricultural practices, such as slow-release systems, which would increase economic feasibility and improve the application and utilization efficiency of agrochemicals. This comprehensive review examines the detrimental effects of excessive and improper use of agrochemicals on the environment and offers lignin-based sustainable solutions (lignin coatings, modified lignin coatings, chemical modification of lignin, lignin-based hydrogels, lignin-based slow-release pesticides) and explains why lignin is the material of choice for addressing these concerns.