Explorando el uso de subproductos forestales para la tecnología del caucho: compuestos basados en hojas de Eucalyptus nitens y caucho natural como una alternativa valiosa para el desarrollo de materiales elastoméricos con bajo impacto bacteriológico.
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Date
2024
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Universidad de Concepción
Abstract
La industria forestal produce diferentes subproductos vegetales de escaso valor que se buscan revalorizar para evitar que permanezcan sin uso en los bosques y aserraderos. Entre estos subproductos se encuentran las hojas, que no sólo contienen fibras de celulosa y lignina, sino también aceites esenciales como los terpenos, los cuales se biosintetizan por rutas metabólicas similares a las del cis-1,4-poliisopreno, conocido como caucho natural. La presencia de estos terpenos aumentaría la afinidad del material lignocelulósico, mejorando el desempeño mecánico del caucho natural. En este contexto, este trabajo evaluó el uso de hojas secas molidas sin tamizar y tamizadas de Eucalyptus nitens en caucho natural. Entre los resultados más relevantes destaca un aumento significativo de las propiedades mecánicas, como la resistencia a la tracción y el alargamiento a la rotura, alcanzando valores de 9,45 MPa y 649%, respectivamente. Además, se observó que el contenido de este relleno vegetal disminuye los niveles de toxicidad del caucho natural frente a las bacterias Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli FT-17, Escherichia coli K-12, Pseudomonas fluorescens y Staphylococcus aureus las cuales son de importancia agroforestal y de salud pública. Los resultados de esta investigación no sólo permiten añadir valor a un subproducto de la industria forestal, mejorando las propiedades mecánicas del caucho natural desde un enfoque sostenible, sino que también permiten reducir el impacto del caucho natural en microorganismos bacterianos.
The forestry industry produces various low-value plant by-products that are sought to be revalued to prevent them from remaining unused in forests and sawmills. Among these by-products are the leaves, which not only contain cellulose fibers and lignin, but also essential oils such as terpenes, which are biosynthesized through metabolic pathways similar to those of cis-1,4 polyisoprene, known as natural rubber. The presence of these terpenes would increase the affinity of the lignocellulosic material, improving the mechanical performance of natural rubber. In this context, this work evaluated the use of unscreened and screened dried ground leaves of Eucalyptus nitens in natural rubber. Among the most relevant results, a significant increase in mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and elongation at break, reaching values of 9.45 MPa and 649%, respectively, stood out. In addition, it was observed that the content of this plant filler decreased the toxicity levels of natural rubber against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli FT-17, Escherichia coli K-12, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, which are of agroforestry and public health importance. The results of this research not only allow adding value to a by-product of the forestry industry, improving the mechanical properties of natural rubber from a sustainable approach, but also allow reducing the impact of natural rubber on bacterial microorganisms.
The forestry industry produces various low-value plant by-products that are sought to be revalued to prevent them from remaining unused in forests and sawmills. Among these by-products are the leaves, which not only contain cellulose fibers and lignin, but also essential oils such as terpenes, which are biosynthesized through metabolic pathways similar to those of cis-1,4 polyisoprene, known as natural rubber. The presence of these terpenes would increase the affinity of the lignocellulosic material, improving the mechanical performance of natural rubber. In this context, this work evaluated the use of unscreened and screened dried ground leaves of Eucalyptus nitens in natural rubber. Among the most relevant results, a significant increase in mechanical properties, such as tensile strength and elongation at break, reaching values of 9.45 MPa and 649%, respectively, stood out. In addition, it was observed that the content of this plant filler decreased the toxicity levels of natural rubber against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli FT-17, Escherichia coli K-12, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, which are of agroforestry and public health importance. The results of this research not only allow adding value to a by-product of the forestry industry, improving the mechanical properties of natural rubber from a sustainable approach, but also allow reducing the impact of natural rubber on bacterial microorganisms.
Description
Tesis presentada para optar al título de Ingeniera en Biotecnología Vegetal
Keywords
Biotecnología, Shining gum, Caucho Investigaciones, Recursos naturales