Person:
Monte Lara, María Concepción

First Name

María Concepción

Last Name

Monte Lara

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/76231

Affiliation

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Faculty / Institute

Ciencias Químicas

Department

Ingeniería Química y de Materiales

Area

Ingeniería Química

Identifiers

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Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 10

Waste management from pulp and paper production in the European Union
(Waste Management, 2009) Monte Lara, María Concepción; Fuente González, Elena De La; Blanco Suárez, María Ángeles; Negro Álvarez, Carlos Manuel
Eleven million tonnes of waste are produced yearly by the European pulp and paper industry, of which 70% originates from the production of deinked recycled paper. Wastes are very diverse in composition and consist of rejects, different types of sludges and ashes in mills having on-site incineration treatment. The production of pulp and paper from virgin pulp generates less waste but the waste has similar properties to waste from the production of deinked pulp, although with less inorganics. Due to legislation and increased taxes, landfills are quickly being eliminated as a final destination for wastes in Europe, and incineration with energy recovery is becoming the main waste recovery method. Other options such as pyrolysis, gasification, land spreading, composting and reuse as building material are being applied, although research is still needed for optimization of the processes. Due to the large volumes of waste generated, the high moisture content of the waste and the changing waste composition as a result of process conditions, recovery methods are usually expensive and their environmental impact is still uncertain. For this reason, it is necessary to continue research on different applications of wastes, while taking into account the environmental and economic factors of these waste treatments.
Recycled Fibers for Sustainable Hybrid Fiber Cement Based Material: A Review
(Materials, 2021) Balea Martín, Ana; Fuente González, Elena De La; Monte Lara, María Concepción; Blanco Suárez, María Ángeles; Negro Álvarez, Carlos Manuel
Reinforcing fibers have been widely used to improve physical and mechanical properties of cement-based materials. Most fiber reinforced composites (FRC) involve the use of a single type of fiber to improve cement properties, such as strength or ductility. To additionally improve other parameters, hybridization is required. Another key challenge, in the construction industry, is the implementation of green and sustainable strategies based on reducing raw materials consumption, designing novel structures with enhanced properties and low weight, and developing low environmental impact processes. Different recycled fibers have been used as raw materials to promote circular economy processes and new business opportunities in the cement-based sector. The valuable use of recycled fibers in hybrid FRC has already been proven and they improve both product quality and sustainability, but the generated knowledge is fragmented. This is the first review analyzing the use of recycled fibers in hybrid FRC and the hybridization effect on mechanical properties and workability of FRC. The paper compiles the best results and the optimal combinations of recycled fibers for hybrid FRC to identify key insights and gaps that may define future research to open new application fields for recycled hybrid FRC.
Polymeric Branched Flocculant Effect on the Flocculation Process of Pulp Suspensions in the Papermaking Industry
(Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2009) Blanco Suárez, María Ángeles; Fuente González, Elena De La; Monte Lara, María Concepción; Cortés, Noelia; Negro Álvarez, Carlos Manuel
This paper presents the effect of the structure of cationic polyacrylamides (CPAMs) on flocculation of pulpsuspensions and floc properties. A focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) probe was used to monitor flocculation, deflocculation, and reflocculation processes in real time. To carry out the study, 1% elemental chlorine free (ECF) eucalyptus kraft pulp containing 20% ground calcium carbonate (GCC) was used. Results show that the effect of the CPAM structure depends on charge density and polymer dose. Floc size does not always decrease with branching degree, whereas floc stability and reflocculation ability increased when highly charged and branched CPAM was used. These findings indicate that the use of highly branched CPAMs with very high molecular weight is very promising as a retention aid method to improve the papermaking process.
Corn stalk from agricultural residue used as reinforcement fiber in fibercement production
(Industrial Crops and Products, 2013) Jarabo, Rocío; Monte Lara, María Concepción; Fuente González, Elena De La; Santos, Sérgio Francisco; Negro Álvarez, Carlos Manuel
In the last few years an increasing high interest has been drawn to the potential use of agricultural waste as raw material to produce structural reinforcement fibers for building materials, due to environmental and economical aspects. Corn is the world's most produced cereal in terms of quantity, what entails the generation of large quantities of waste. Despite this fact, only a few research works concerned with the use of fibers from waste corn stalks in the production of fiber-cement have been published and there is a complete lack of data on the characterization of these fibers. The objective of this research is to study the feasibility of using fibers obtained from corn stalk as reinforcement fibers in the production of fiber-cement through new environmentally friendly cooking methods. This study encompasses the morphological characterization of the fibers and the study of the effects that the use of these fibers has on the flocculation, retention and drainage of the fiber-cement suspensions and on the mechanical and physical properties of the final product. The results obtained in the tests confirmed the high potential of the corn stalk as a source of fibers for the manufacture of a fiber-cement capable of meeting the requirements of demanding applications.
Project number: 120
CHEM-E-CAR: De la teoría a la práctica. Construcción de un prototipo
(2017) Monte Lara, María Concepción; Balea Martín, Ana; López Expósito, Patricio; Campano Tiedra, Cristina; Cortijo Garrido, Luis; Plaza Rodriguez, Jesus; Barndok, Helen; Miranda Carreño, Rubén; Tijero Cruz, Antonio; Ladero Galán, Miguel; García-Ochoa Soria, Félix; Senit Velasco, Juan José; Velasco Conde, Daniel; Alcalá Penades, Germán; Mato Díaz, Sonia; Pérez Trujillo, Francisco Javier; Santos Barahona, Héctor; Lasanta Carrasco, María Isabel; de Miguel Gamo, María Teresa; García Martín, Gustavo; Illana Sánchez, Andrea; Alberola Sánchez, Raúl; Arsuaga Cao, Pablo; Ara Jimeno, Pablo; Avila Palomares, Alberto; Bolívar Tejedo, Pilar; Carlucci, Maurizio Antonio; del Amo Salgado, Pablo; Espinosa García, Lucía; Fernández Rodríguez, Gemma; Galán Galán, Alicia; Márquez Negro, Alejandro; Martín Jiménez, Diego; Morona Murillo, Lorena; Pedregal Sáez, Antonio; Resino Guirao, Jesús; Negro Álvarez, Carlos Manuel; Fuente González, Elena De La; Blanco Suárez, María Ángeles
El proyecto consiste en construir un prototipo de coche “Chem-E-Car” y constituir a la UCM como una de las primeras universidades españolas que participa en dicha competición internacional.
Cellulose nanofibers and chitosan to remove flexographic inks from wastewaters
(Water research and technology, 2019) Balea Martín, Ana; Monte Lara, María Concepción; Fuente González, Elena De La; Negro Álvarez, Carlos Manuel; Sánchez Salvador, José Luis; Blanco Suárez, María Ángeles
Flexographic printing technology is an economical, productive, low maintenance and versatile technology. However, the removal of these inks by the traditional flotation process during paper recycling is not possible since they remain dissolved in the waters, making necessary the development of alternative methods. Recent studies have revealed the potential use of nanocellulose (NC) combined with a cationic polyacrylamide to remove flexographic inks from wastewater. The use of a natural polymer, such as chitosan, would be an important improvement of this treatment because NC and chitosan are the two most abundant natural polymers with interesting properties, such as non-toxicity and biodegradability. Therefore, in this study the decolorization of three flexographic inks (copper phthalocyanine blue, carbon black and diarylide yellow) by the sequential addition of cellulose nanofibers, produced from recycled paper, and chitosan has been evaluated. Results show that this eco-friendly approach has high potential for the removal of water-based inks with an almost 100% reduction of turbidity and ink from the wastewater. Moreover, the final sludge containing nanocellulose and inks could be used to reinforce the pulp of the middle layers of carton board, improving the mechanical properties of the product and reducing waste generation.
Estrategias para favorecer la comunicación Universidad-Empresa y fomentar la inserción laboral de los estudiantes a lo largo de su trayectoria formativa
(2023) Fuente González, Elena De La; Alache Manchado, Beatriz; Ayllon Salazar, Joaquin; Balea Martín, Ana; Barrientos Báez, Almudena Carmen; Blanco Suárez, María Ángeles; Comin Barrio, Jorge; Corpa Garcia, Elena; Corpa Santos, Cristina; Dieguez Molina, Xena Teresa; Finkel Morgenstern, Lucila; Gallego Ferrández, Alicia; Gómez Sierra, María Eugenia; Martín Hernández, Mª Isabel; Martínez Lezon, Leila; Monte Lara, María Concepción; Negro Álvarez, Carlos Manuel; Ojembarrena Jiménez, Francisco De Borja; Parra Contreras, María Pilar; Sánchez Salvador, José Luis; Sanz González, Javier; Souto Casas, Alberto; Tijero Cruz, Antonio; Valdés Antón, Pablo; Vergara Ortega, Sandra; Xu, Hongyu
El objetivo general de este proyecto de innovación docente titulado “Estrategias para favorecer la comunicación Universidad-Empresa y fomentar la inserción laboral de los estudiantes a lo largo de su trayectoria formativa” fue desarrollar estrategias para potenciar la comunicación directa y transversal Universidad-Empresa con el fin de mejorar el conocimiento y estimular la formación de los estudiantes (ES) del grado en Ingeniería Química (GIQ), grado en Química (GQ) y grado en Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos (GCyTA), y facilitar la adquisición, por parte del estudiante, de una visión propia del mercado laboral que le permita establecer una meta o visión personal que aumente su motivación durante su trayectoria formativa. Adicionalmente, el docente podrá incrementar la motivación de sus alumnos y mejorar su rendimiento académico. Asimismo, será posible conocer el interés de los estudiantes por la carrera investigadora y docente, y mantener una conexión actualizada con el ámbito laboral, estableciendo contactos que faciliten la integración de los estudiantes en el mundo laboral.
Application of cellulose nanofibers to remove water-based flexographic inks from wastewaters
(Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2017) Balea Martín, Ana; Monte Lara, María Concepción; Fuente González, Elena De La; Negro Álvarez, Carlos Manuel; Blanco Suárez, María Ángeles
Water-based or flexographic inks in paper and plastic industries are more environmentally favourable than organic solvent-based inks. However, their use also creates new challenges because they remain dissolved in water and alter the recycling process. Conventional deinking technologies such as flotation processes do not effectively remove them. Adsorption, coagulation/flocculation, biological and membrane processes are either expensive or have negative health impacts, making the development of alternative methods necessary. Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) are biodegradable, and their structural and mechanical properties are useful for wastewater treatment. TEMPO-oxidised CNF have been evaluated for the decolourisation of wastewaters that contained copper phthalocyanine blue, carbon black and diarlyide yellow pigments. CNF in combination with a cationic polyacrylamide (cPAM) has also been tested. Jar-test methodology was used to evaluate the efficiency of the different treatments and cationic/anionic demand, turbidity and ink concentration in waters were measured. Results show that dual-component system for ink removal has a high potential as an alternative bio-based adsorbent for the removal of water-based inks. In addition, experiments varying CNF and cPAM concentrations were performed to optimise the ink-removal process. Ink concentration reductions of 100%, 87.5% and 83.3% were achieved for copper phthalocyanine blue, carbon black and diarlyide yellow pigments, respectively. Flocculation studies carried out show the decolourisation mechanism during the dual-component treatment of wastewaters containing waterbased inks.
Nanocellulose characterization challenges
(Bioresources, 2021) Balea Martín, Ana; Blanco Suárez, María Ángeles; Delgado-Aguilar, Marc; Monte Lara, María Concepción; Tarrés, Quim; Fuente González, Elena De La; Mutjé, Per; Negro Álvarez, Carlos Manuel
Despite the extraordinary properties of nanocellulose (NC), as confirmed through two decades of exhaustive research, addressing an array of potential applications, the NC market is still far from reaching its full potential. Among the main causes is the lack of process-adapted measuring tools capable of characterizing NC, at acceptable speed and reliability, to meet the industrial demands in a cost-effective way. Therefore, reliable characterization methodologies of NC and new standards are of paramount importance in ensuring reproducible research results and quality control specifications for present and future NC products and applications. Furthermore, the successful industrial use of NC products depends on critical parameters that are still being identified and studied. This review paper aims to identify some of the current drawbacks and limitations in NC characterization that hinder their commercial deployment. Moreover, important challenges related to characterization and new opportunities for future research in this field are addressed.
Fit-for-use nanofibrillated cellulose from recovered paper
(Nanomaterials, 2023) Balea Martín, Ana; Monte Lara, María Concepción; Fuente González, Elena De La; Sánchez Salvador, José Luis; Tarrés, Quim; Mutjé, Pere; Delgado-Aguilar, Marc; Negro Álvarez, Carlos Manuel
The cost-effective implementation of nanofibrillated cellulose (CNF) at industrial scale requires optimizing the quality of the nanofibers according to their final application. Therefore, a portfolio of CNFs with different qualities is necessary, as well as further knowledge about how to obtain each of the main qualities. This paper presents the influence of various production techniques on the morphological characteristics and properties of CNFs produced from a mixture of recycled fibers. Five different pretreatments have been investigated: a mechanical pretreatment (PFI refining), two enzymatic hydrolysis strategies, and TEMPO-mediated oxidation under two different NaClO concentrations. For each pretreatment, five high-pressure homogenization (HPH) conditions have been considered. Our results show that the pretreatment determines the yield and the potential of HPH to enhance fibrillation and, therefore, the final CNF properties. These results enable one to select the most effective production method with the highest yield of produced CNFs from recovered paper for the desired CNF quality in diverse applications.