Avaliação da toxicidade de nanofibras de celulose provenientes do bagaço de azeitona em Artemia salina

Abstract

Environmental degradation caused by synthetic polymers in ecosystems is an emerging concern, given the lethal threat it poses to life on the planet. Given this, the search for the development of new technologies and sustainable products, aiming to replace synthetic plastics, has gained more and more space. The use of biopolymers, derived from renewable carbon sources, such as lignocellulosic biomass, has stood out as a promising alternative to synthetic polymers, since they are biodegradable, non-toxic and from renewable sources. In turn, olive pomace is a lignocellulosic by-product of olive oil extraction, which contains large amounts of cellulose, with great potential for use. Considered a nanoscale constituent of cellulose, nanocellulose is a natural biopolymer, and due to its small size, it has improved properties, superior to those of the original material, such as high mechanical tenacity and thermal resistivity. Furthermore, it is considered a high-performance material with properties equivalent to conventional plastics, providing an extensive category of applications. To ensure safety and sustainability, a nanomaterial must not present toxicity risks, therefore, experiments to evaluate the toxicological potential in organisms must be carried out. In view of the above, the use of organisms such as Artemia salina has been widely spread, due to their sensitivity to toxic substances and ease of handling. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the potential toxicity of cellulose nanofibers, from olive pomace, in Artemia salina nauplii. For this, a series of parameters, including hatching rate, movement (using the ImageJ – TrackMate software) and survival, were carried out, in order to understand the effects of the nanomaterial on the organism. The results indicated that the biopolymer had no adverse effects on Artemia salina. In general, hatching, movement and survival rates were comparable to those of the control group, without statistically significant changes (ANOVA, p<0.05). These findings suggest that nanocellulose from olive pomace, at the concentrations tested, does not have toxicological potential, guaranteeing safety in its application. In this way, this study contributes to understanding the ecotoxicological impacts of nanomaterials and contributes to promoting the development of new sustainable technologies.