Álvarez-Castillo Estefanía, Bengoechea Carlos, Guerrero Antonio
Escuela Politécnica Superior, Chemical Engineering Department, University of Seville, Calle Virgen de África, 7, 41011 Sevilla, Spain.
Polymers (Basel). 2021 Mar 3;13(5):772. doi: 10.3390/polym13050772.
The replacement of common acrylic derivatives by biodegradable materials in the formulation of superabsorbent materials would lessen the associated environmental impact. Moreover, the use of by-products or biowastes from the food industry that are usually discarded would promote a desired circular economy. The present study deals with the development of superabsorbent materials based on a by-product from the meat industry, namely plasma protein, focusing on the effects of a freeze-drying stage before blending with glycerol and eventual injection molding. More specifically, this freeze-drying stage is carried out either directly on the protein flour or after its solubilization in deionized water (10% /). Superabsorbent materials obtained after this solubilization-freeze-drying process display higher Young's modulus and tensile strength values, without affecting their water uptake capacity. As greater water uptake is commonly related to poorer mechanical properties, the proposed solubilization-freeze-drying process is a useful strategy for producing strengthened hydrophilic materials.
在高吸水性材料配方中用可生物降解材料替代常见的丙烯酸衍生物，将减少相关的环境影响。此外，利用通常被丢弃的食品工业副产品或生物废料，将促进理想的循环经济。本研究涉及基于肉类工业副产品即血浆蛋白开发高吸水性材料，重点关注在与甘油混合及最终注塑成型之前的冷冻干燥阶段的影响。更具体地说，这个冷冻干燥阶段要么直接在蛋白粉上进行，要么在其溶解于去离子水（10%/）之后进行。经过这种溶解 - 冷冻干燥过程获得的高吸水性材料显示出更高的杨氏模量和拉伸强度值，而不影响其吸水能力。由于通常更大的吸水量与较差的机械性能相关，所提出的溶解 - 冷冻干燥过程是生产强化亲水性材料的有用策略。
