Síntesis de hidrogeles a partir de alginato de sodio reforzado.
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Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universidad de Concepción
Abstract
Los hidrogeles inteligentes son una clase de polímeros funcionales que se utilizan ampliamente en diversos ámbitos, como la agricultura, la medicina, la farmacia, el tratamiento de efluentes, la industria textil, entre otros. Para el caso del uso de hidrogeles en áreas forestales y/o agrícolas se utilizan debido a su capacidad de desorber agua y nutrientes de forma controlada durante un tiempo establecido.
Para esta memoria de título se realiza un hidrogel inteligente a base de la microalga Scenedesmus obliquus que es la encargada de aportar nutrientes y bioestimulantes de forma natural al hidrogel.
Se tiene como objetivo estudiar las oportunidades de reforzamiento de los biomedios microalgales para mejorar las propiedades estructurales de hidrogeles a partir de microalgas. Debido a que esta memoria forma parte de un proyecto, del cual, se quiere estudiar posibles mejoras a través de fortificadores en la estructura actual del hidrogel.
El hidrogel actual está hecho a partir de un biomedio expuesto a aguas de la piscicultura, este se encuentra formado de alginato de sodio y microalga. Sin embargo, se encuentra el problema de que este biomedio de geometría esférica tiene una duración de solo 14 días en el agua de la piscicultura, lo cual, no es eficiente. Es aquí donde se toman dos decisiones innovadoras, por un lado, probar dos fortificadores naturales como lo son el Agar-Agar y la Carragenina. Y, por otro lado, probar un cambio en la geometría tradicional y probar láminas de biomedios en vez de esferas.
Se probaron estos biomedios en un sistema de acuarios que simulan las condiciones de la piscicultura durante 35 días realizando tres ciclos en los cuales se iba fortificando el agua y se iban analizando diariamente los niveles de amonio, fosfato y nitrito. La depuración arrojó los mejores resultados para el biomedio tradicional y el realizado con Agar-Agar.
A lo largo de este informe, se pueden revisar los diferentes análisis y caracterizaciones visuales, microscópicas y mecánicas. Además de las interacciones descritas en la depuración.
Finalmente, se presenta una opción funcional de geometría diferente a la encapsulación tradicional con la misión de buscarle mejores en la degradación o reutilización de mallas y además, se presenta que el hidrogel fortificado con Agar-Agar muestra resultados interesantes que abren diversas opciones de análisis y posibles utilidades de este en el área de la depuración y del ahorro de agua en el área agrícola-forestal.
Smart hydrogels are a class of functional polymers widely used in various fields, such as agriculture, medicine, pharmaceuticals, wastewater treatment, and the textile industry, among others. In the case of forestry and agricultural applications, hydrogels are employed due to their ability to release water and nutrients in a controlled manner over a specified period. This thesis focuses on developing a smart hydrogel based on the microalga Scenedesmus obliquus, which naturally contributes nutrients and biostimulants to the hydrogel. The main objective is to explore the potential of reinforcing microalgal biomediums to enhance the structural properties of hydrogels derived from microalgae. This study is part of a larger project aimed at investigating possible improvements through structural fortifiers for the current hydrogel design. The current hydrogel is derived from a biomedium exposed to aquaculture water, consisting of sodium alginate and microalgae. However, this spherical biomedium design has a significant limitation: it lasts only 14 days in aquaculture water, making it inefficient. To address this, two innovative approaches were implemented: first, testing two natural fortifiers, Agar-Agar and Carrageenan, and second, introducing an alternative geometry by replacing the traditional spherical design with biomedium sheets. These biomediums were tested in an aquarium system simulating aquaculture conditions over 35 days, divided into three cycles. During this period, the water was fortified, and the levels of ammonia, phosphate, and nitrite were analyzed daily. The results showed that the traditional biomedium and the one reinforced with Agar-Agar performed best in nutrient removal. This report includes a detailed review of various visual, microscopic, and mechanical analyses, as well as the interactions observed during the purification process. Finally, a functional alternative to the traditional encapsulation geometry is proposed, focusing on improving the degradation or reuse of the biomedium sheets. Additionally, the fortified hydrogel with Agar-Agar demonstrated promising results, offering potential applications in nutrient removal and water conservation in the agricultural and forestry sectors.
Smart hydrogels are a class of functional polymers widely used in various fields, such as agriculture, medicine, pharmaceuticals, wastewater treatment, and the textile industry, among others. In the case of forestry and agricultural applications, hydrogels are employed due to their ability to release water and nutrients in a controlled manner over a specified period. This thesis focuses on developing a smart hydrogel based on the microalga Scenedesmus obliquus, which naturally contributes nutrients and biostimulants to the hydrogel. The main objective is to explore the potential of reinforcing microalgal biomediums to enhance the structural properties of hydrogels derived from microalgae. This study is part of a larger project aimed at investigating possible improvements through structural fortifiers for the current hydrogel design. The current hydrogel is derived from a biomedium exposed to aquaculture water, consisting of sodium alginate and microalgae. However, this spherical biomedium design has a significant limitation: it lasts only 14 days in aquaculture water, making it inefficient. To address this, two innovative approaches were implemented: first, testing two natural fortifiers, Agar-Agar and Carrageenan, and second, introducing an alternative geometry by replacing the traditional spherical design with biomedium sheets. These biomediums were tested in an aquarium system simulating aquaculture conditions over 35 days, divided into three cycles. During this period, the water was fortified, and the levels of ammonia, phosphate, and nitrite were analyzed daily. The results showed that the traditional biomedium and the one reinforced with Agar-Agar performed best in nutrient removal. This report includes a detailed review of various visual, microscopic, and mechanical analyses, as well as the interactions observed during the purification process. Finally, a functional alternative to the traditional encapsulation geometry is proposed, focusing on improving the degradation or reuse of the biomedium sheets. Additionally, the fortified hydrogel with Agar-Agar demonstrated promising results, offering potential applications in nutrient removal and water conservation in the agricultural and forestry sectors.
Description
Tesis presentada para optar al título de Ingeniero Civil Químico
Keywords
Polímeros, Alginato de sodio, Materiales compuestos