0000000000338452
AUTHOR
O. Gil-castell
showing 9 related works from this author
Degradation of Plasticised Poly(lactide) Composites with Nanofibrillated Cellulose in Different Hydrothermal Environments
2022
AbstractIn this study, bionanocomposite films based on poly(lactide) (PLA) plasticised with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (7.5 wt%) and reinforced with various contents of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) (1, 3, 5 wt%) were prepared. The hydrothermal degradation was investigated through immersion in several aqueous environments at temperatures of 8, 23, 58, and 70 °C as a function of time (7, 15, 30, 60, 90 days). The effect of water immersion on the physicochemical properties of the materials was assessed by monitoring the changes in the morphology, thermo-oxidative stability, thermal properties, and molar mass through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), thermogravimetric an…
Crosslinked chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)-based polyelectrolytes for proton exchange membranes
2019
[EN] The preparation polyelectrolytes based on crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan (CS) was considered as a feasible alternative to develop highly functionalised, cost-effective and eco-friendly membranes for proton exchange fuel cell technologies. CS/PVA-based membranes were combined with sulfosuccinic acid (SSA) as crosslinking and sulfonating agent, and glycerol (GL) to promote flexibility and favour their manageability. The chemical structure, the thermo-oxidative behaviour, the ethanol uptake, the electric, the proton conductivity, and the performance in direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) were assessed. In general, all the CS/PVA-based polyelectrolytes showed a synergetic i…
Suitability of blends from virgin and reprocessed polylactide: performance and energy valorization kinetics
2018
[EN] A blending strategy of virgin and reprocessed polylactide may be postulated as an alternative to reduce the material cost at industrial level, and as a valorisation route to plastic waste management of production scraps. The performance of blends prepared from virgin polylactide and polylactide mechanically reprocessed up to two cycles (PLA-V/R) was assessed in terms of thermo-oxidative stability, morphology, viscoelasticity and thermal kinetics for energetic valorisation. PLA-V/R blends showed appropriate thermo-oxidative stability. The amorphous nature of polylactide was preserved after blending. The viscoelastic properties showed an increment of the mechanical blend effectiveness, w…
Influence of substrate and temperature on the biodegradation of polyester-based materials: Polylactide and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoa…
2020
[EN] The extended use of polymers from renewable resources such as aliphatic polyesters or polyhydroxyalkanoates boosted the necessity to understand their behaviour in an end-of-life scenario. Although they can be degraded in reasonable shorter times than traditional polymers, understanding the degradation mechanisms under dissimilar conditions will contribute to further developments in this field. This work aimed to study the effect of temperature and substrate in the degradation of polylactide (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) in a simulated laboratory scale to ascertain their contribution, separately or in combination. For this purpose, nine parallel degradat…
Performance of Sulfonated Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Graphene Oxide Polyelectrolytes for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells
2020
The use of nanotechnology along with the consideration of a functionalization and stabilization approach to poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is considered useful for the preparation of cost-effective polyelectrolyte membranes. A set of nanocomposite and crosslinked membranes based on PVA/sulfosuccinic acid (SSA)/graphene oxide (GO) are prepared and analyzed as polyelectrolytes in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The crosslinking and sulfonation by the use of SSA enhances the stability and increase the proton-conducting sites in the PVA structure. The presence of GO augments the stability, remarkably decreases the methanol crossover, and enhances power density curves. An optimum value for proton…
Influence of the Molecular Weight on PVA/GO Composite Membranes for Fuel Cell Applications
2020
Composite polymer electrolyte membranes were prepared with poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA). Two different molecular weight (Mw), 67·103 and 130·103 g·mol−1 were selected, cross-linked with sulfosuccinic acid (SSA) and doped graphene oxide (GO). The effects on the membranes obtained from these polymers were characterized in order to evaluate the fuel cell performance. Electron microscopy showed a proper nanoparticle distribution in the polymer matrix. The chemical structure was evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The absence of a crystalline structure and the enhancement on the thermal stability with the addition of 1% of GO was demonstrated by thermal characterization. Total tr…
Effective antimicrobial materials based on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles
2019
[EN] Effective antimicrobial polymeric nanocomposites were prepared with low density polyethylene (LDPE) and zinc oxide nanoparticles by melt compounding. These nanoparticles (~17 nm) obtained by the sol¿gel method, were used both as-synthesized and modified organically with oleic acid (Mod-ZnO). Young¿s modulus increased ~15 and 18% for LDPE/ZnO and LDPE/Mod-ZnO, respectively, compared to neat LDPE. When these composites were irradiated with white light, they showed an increase with nanoparticle incorporation, and the antimicrobial properties against E. coli were ~96¿99%. The release of the Zn cations was related to the antimicrobial properties. These nanocomposites are attractive for use …
Encapsulation of Vitamins A and E as Spray-Dried Additives for the Feed Industry
2020
Encapsulated fat-soluble powders containing vitamin A (VA) and E (VE) were prepared as a feasible additive for extruded feed products. The effect of the encapsulating agents (Capsul-CAP®
Brewer's spent grains as biofuels in combustion-based energy recovery processes: Evaluation of thermo-oxidative decomposition
2022
[EN] The high global generation of wastes and side streams from agri-food production has led to environmental impact and causes nature degradation due to their uncontrolled management. These wastes are profitable materials with significant economic value that could otherwise be exploited as new sources in the feed industry or the production of bioenergy. Among them, brewer¿s spent grain (BSG) is a solid by-product generated in the beerbrewing process that consists of the barley grain husks together with parts of the pericarp and seed coat layer. Although it is rich in fibres and proteins, its main use is currently limited to animal feed or simply deposition to landfills. This study pursues …