(536d) Synthesis of Renewable Insecticides Possessing Tailored Functional Groups

The carbamate insecticides market size is forecasted to reach a value of $341.6 million by the end of 2027 growing at a CAGR of 4.5%. This poses a significant environmental threat as commercial carbamate insecticides are produced from fossil fuel-derived phenols such as cresol. Synthesis of these insecticides involves strong acids and produces toxic waste streams. Bio-based insecticides are a more sustainable and often safer alternative for pest management in agricultural production. Prior art in this field is limited to testing bio-oil obtained from the pyrolysis of biomass and other mild fungicides derived from reductive catalytic fractionation of lignin. However, the insecticidal activity of these compounds is several orders of magnitude lower than that of commercial insecticides.

In this work, we implemented targeted synthesis to construct carbamate functional groups, the active component of carbamate insecticides on biomass-derived compounds from lignin and furans for the first time. The synthesis pathway involves two steps in high yields. The novel compounds have also been purified and tested for insecticidal activity. The synthesis of these new compounds paves the way for a greener, safer alternative of insecticides.