Renewable Raw Materials for advanced applications

Abstract

The use of agricultural industrial wastes to obtain value added products is an issue of utmost importance today, since solutions to problems of environmental pollution are crucial in order to achieve a sustainable development. In this respect the contribution of the so called “Renewable Raw Materials” from agricultural wastes can be a promising starting point. Further, given their provenance, these materials can be also considered as “Ecomaterials”. This issue is now considered as one of the main scientific goals at an international level, given their benign environmental impact Using waste materials avoids the expense of other often non-renewable materials, among many other benefits, with groups which are working in this philosophy called “cradle to grave” under which industries may be able to turn waste into useful materials for themselves or others, thus closing a cycle with obvious benefits. The renewable raw materials developed in our group are value added materials prepared from agricultural industrial wastes, avoiding the use of toxic substances to the environment, as well as achieving maximum economy and reduction of energy expenditure. Some of the processes developed are: immobilization of enzymes for biocatalytic processes, design of scaffolds for tissue engineering, conversion of liquid renewable raw materials into fine chemical intermediates avoiding the use of petroleum derivatives and catalysts for environmental protection.