María Fabiana Sardella

National University of San Juan | UNSJ · Instituto de Ingeniería Química (IIQ)

Olive Tree Pruning (OTP) biomass can be considered a suitable source of fermentable sugars for the production of second-generation bioethanol. The present study proposes a remarkable alternative for the valorization of olive tree pruning residues. OTP biomass was processed using a sequential calcium hydroxide pretreatment/enzymatic hydrolysis. A 24...

This work addresses the valorization and integral use of an abundant agro-industrial waste in sustainable production routes. Olive tree pruning residues were used to obtain bioethanol and activated carbon. This was latter applied to supercapacitor electrodes preparation and also as a detoxifying agent. On the bioethanol route, the residue was pretr...

In order to improve bioethanol production from hydrolysates from olive tree pruning residues the present study assessed a detoxification method using the same waste material. The objective was to develop optimal removal without diminishing fermentable sugars. A statistical optimisation study was performed for the production of activated carbons usi...

In order to implement a sustainable approach in the development of carbonaceous materials with improved capacitive properties, the development of Pd‐doped cellulose carbon aerogels (CA‐PdX) is presented. Upon introducing Pd nanoparticles to the carbonaceous matrix prior to the gel formation, carbon aerogels with various Pd content are prepared. Phy...

Olive oil is one of the main products from the Central-Western Region of Argentine Republic, which is mostly obtained by continuous two-phase centrifugation systems. Two-phase-olive-mill-waste (TPOMW) or Alperujo is the main waste generated by this process. This research was conducted in order to give value to this waste by producing hydrochar and...

This work presents a novel control technique that combines linear algebra-based controller (LABC) methodology with sliding surface concepts. An LABC is developed from a first-order plus dead time model of the process, which is improved to work under uncertainties by the use of sliding surface concepts. Two different strategies are proposed to rejec...

This work presents a novel control technique that combines concepts of Sliding Surface with a Linear Algebra methodology for controller design. The result is a controller with an improved robustness, while the chattering effect attributed to great uncertainties is avoided. A First Order Plus Dead Time (FOPDT) model of the process is used to develop...

Sustainable agroindustry has presented many challenges related to waste management. Most of its residues are lignocellulosic biomass materials with great application potential due to their chemical composition, hence the use of biomass-derived carbon materials in energy storage has received growing interest in recent years. In this work, highly mic...

Melon is one of the main horticultural crops in the province of San Juan, Argentina. An excess of 20% of its production is not marketed for various reasons. To take advantage of this biomass, acid pretreatments (PA), acid combined with ultrasound (PAU), were applied to evaluate increases in the bioavailability of sugars for the production of 2G bio...

This work presents a simple controller, tunable by 3 parameters, capable of following variable time references. It is a Linear Algebra based Controller (LABC), developed from a First Order Plus Dead Time model (FOPDT). Two processes were selected: a high order linear process and a transesterification batch reactor from the biodiesel production proc...

The growing environmental problems and the depletion of fossil fuels have driven the research towards the development of renewable energy sources and the technologies that make use of them. In this context appears the demand of renewable, abundant and low-cost precursors as an alternative to traditional fossil sources. Activated carbons are materia...

The adsorption on activated carbon has been shown to be very effective for the removal of heavy metals from water. This work details the removal of lead by adsorption onto activated carbon obtained from wastes of grape industrialization, in batch and column operation, under different conditions in order to correlate the adsorbents properties with t...

Two phase olive mill waste (TPOMW) is the semisolid waste generated for olive oil production. The organic fraction of this waste includes compounds that serve as a source of carbon and other nutrients for microorganisms, a feature that makes it potentially attractive for bioethanol production. To increase the bioavailability of cellulose and hemice...

In this work, the catalytic oxidation of the hazardous and unpleasant aqueous sulfide contaminant was investigated by activated carbon in the form of mechanically resistant and versatile briquettes produced from two different wastes of the wine industry, i.e., lex and stalk. Characterization by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-...

Alperujo (AL) is the semisolid residue from the olive oil production by two phase centrifugation system. In San Juan (Argentine), about 40,000 MG of AL are annually produced. AL is a highly polluting waste (COD: 230-240 g/kg and BOD: 90 g/kg, approximately), and its treatment and disposal is a concerning problem. AL contains mineral and organic mat...

Adsorption studies (kinetic, batch and dynamic assays) were carried out for lead removal from aqueous solutions using wastes from the wine industry. The adsorbents used were obtained from grape stalk and pomace#. These materials were carbonized, briquetted and activated with steam. Addition of a leaching step before activation lowered the high ash...

Wood residues are ordinary wastes in the forestry industry and their valorization is an important issue. Eucalyptus grandis wood dust was chosen as a model wood residue and biocarbons (BCs) and activated BCs were prepared from it and studied as active materials for supercapacitor electrodes. Several ordinary activation methods were used and micropo...

Grape stalk is an organic waste produced in great amounts in the industrialization processes of grape. This work presents the results of studies carried out to use this waste as raw material to prepare activated carbon through the physical and chemical route. The physicochemical characterization of this material suggests the presence of unusually h...

Seven activated carbon catalysts obtained from a variety of raw material sources and preparation methods were examined for their catalytic activity to decompose hydrogen iodide (HI) to produce hydrogen, a key reaction in the sulfur–iodine (S–I) thermochemical water splitting cycle. Activity was examined under a temperature ramp from 473 to 773K. Wi...

A series of activated carbons (AC) were prepared from waste of the olive oil production in the Cuyo Region, Argentine by two standard methods: a) physical activation by steam and b) chemical activation with ZnCl2. The AC samples were characterized by nitrogen adsorption at 77K and evaluated for natural gas storage purposes through the adsorption of...

In this work, the advantages of special briquette shape and high surface area functionalized carbon were combined to produce a novel adsorbent for metals. BET, TG, IR, acid site and EDS analyses suggest that the functionalization with HNO3 and metal adsorption takes place throughout the briquette body. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics have bee...

The results of studies on briquetting activated-carbon-based adsorbent materials, prepared from raw materials from the region of Cuyo, Argentina, are reported in this article. Several steps were carried out to obtain activated-carbon briquettes from Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn wood. These steps included carbonization of wood to obtain char; blend...

Grape stalk is a common agricultural waste from Cuyo Region-Argentina, which is available in large quantities and at low prices. It is the woody part of the grape cluster, represents about 4% of its weight and it is discarded at the beginning of the wine making process. As any carbonaceous material, grape stalk can be used to obtain activated carbo...