Group description

The main research lines of BIOMAT group address various aspects of biopolymeric materials from the extraction of raw materials to the end of life of products.

1. Valorization of industrial by-products or bio-wastes to obtain raw materials
Bio-wastes that are abundant and available at a local scale are selected to extract proteins and polysaccharides. BIOMAT has expertise in the extraction of polysaccharides from marine derived bio-waste, such as algae or squid pens. Proteins such as collagen are extracted from skins and are treated to preserve the triple helix structure of collagen, providing the material with excellent mechanical properties. Other by-products from dairy products and poultry industries, such as sheep wool and chicken feathers, are also employed to obtain proteins.

2. Modification of biopolymers to improve functional properties
After selecting those bio-wastes that can lead to the production of biopolymers with a high yield through sustainable processes, biopolymers are blended or modified to achieve the properties required for each specific application. The incorporation of natural GRAS (generally recognized as safe) additives into the formulations leads to modified materials with improved properties, facilitating the material processing and/or acting as bioactives, with great potential in food and bio-sanitary sectors.

3. Optimization of processing conditions and methods to manufacture bio-based products
Conventional manufacture processes, such as solution casting and compression molding, are employed but also more innovative technologies, such as electrospinning and 3D printing, are optimized to produce 2D and 3D porous structures, respectively. The combination of both techniques to produce novel porous products is also assessed. Rheological analyses are essential for determining the optimal processing conditions. Additionally, the products developed are characterized in order to analyze their viability for the different applications (e.g. active films for food packaging or bioactive-controlled release, membranes for batteries or water filtration, and scaffolds for tissue engineering).

4. Environmental assessment of developed products and involved processes
Life cycle analysis (LCA) is carried out according to ISO 14040 guidelines and recommendations. The identification of the activities or stages that cause environmental impacts and the analysis of the opportunities that the developed products can offer to reduce their environmental load is one of our goals. The data related to the raw materials extraction and product manufacture is collected when processing the products. The consumed and emitted flows, such as raw materials and energy consumption and emissions to air, water, and soil, are considered over the whole life cycle of the products in order to measure their impacts and quantify the contribution of each flow to the damage caused directly to human health, ecosystem quality, and resources.