Dados e sumário
POCI-01-0145-FEDER-032625 (07/2018-07/2021) PTDC/EQUEPQ/32625/2017
Funding entity: Cofinanciado pelo Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (FEDER) e pelo Orçamento de Estado.
Research Unit: Centro de Investigacao em Engenharia dos Processos Quimicos e dos Produtos da Floresta (CIEPQPF).
Proponent Institution: Universidade de Coimbra.
Other Participating Institutions: Centro de Neurociencias e Biologia Celular (CNC)
Scientific Area: Chemical Engineering
Principal Researcher: Mara E. M. Braga (DEQ-FCTUC)
Co-PI: Hermínio C. de Sousa (DEQ-FCTUC)
Funding: € 234.488,12
This proposal is related to the development of innovative sterilized aerogels from biopolymers obtained from marine and forest residues. In addition, an integrated process design will be developed based on supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) technology to produce aerogels by integrating three different processing steps: gelation, hydrogel/aerogel conversion, and sterilization. This integrated process ensures the introduction of porosity in the aerogel through the pressure cycles, essential for applications to replace bone tissue as an absorbable scaffold to treat injuries with significant tissue loss. The terminal sterilization at the end of the process will guarantee the aerogel to be ready to use as a tissue substitute in bone repair.
Equipa
Congress participation
C. Bento, S. Alarico, N. Empadinhas, H.C. de Sousa, M.E.M. Braga. ScCO2 Sterilization of Natural-based Hydrogel and Aerogel for Biomedical Applications. 1º Encontro Ibérico de Fluidos Supercríticos (EIFS 2020), Santiago de Compostela, Espanha, 18-19 de Fevereiro de 2020.
C.S. A. Bento, S. Alarico, N. Empadinhas, H. C. de Sousa, M.E.M. Braga. Sequential scCO2 drying and sterilization of alginate-gelatin polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs). 2º Encuentro Ibérico de Fluidos Supercríticos/Encontro Ibérico de Fluidos Supercríticos, 28 February-2 March 2022 in Coimbra (Portugal).
L.I. N. Tomé, J.A. F. Gamelas, M.G. Rasteiro, H.C. de Sousa, M.E.M. Braga. Novel modified cellulose-based aerogels for tissue engineering and environmental applications. 2º Encuentro Ibérico de Fluidos Supercríticos/Encontro Ibérico de Fluidos Supercríticos, 28 February-2 March 2022 in Coimbra (Portugal).
L.I. N. Tomé, M.S. Reis, H.C. de Sousa, M.E.M. Braga. Chitosan-xanthan gum PEC-based aerogels as innovative solutions for biomedical and environmental applications. 2º Encuentro Ibérico de Fluidos Supercríticos/Encontro Ibérico de Fluidos Supercríticos, 28 February-2 March 2022 in Coimbra (Portugal).
C.S.A. Bento, H. Carrelo, S. Alarico, N. Empadinhas, H.C. de Sousa, M.T. Cidade, M.E. M. Braga. PECs-based hydrogels: Physicochemical, microbiological and rheological characterization. Annual European Rheology Conference, Seville 26-28th April 2022.
L.I. N. Tomé, Marco S. Reis, Mara E. M. Braga. Preparation of polyelectrolyte complexes (PEC) from natural biopolymers: a fractional factorial approach, EPNOE 2019 6th EPNOE International Polysaccharides Conference, Aveiro, Portugal, 21-25 October 2019.
Websites
From the conventional local and international media journals, 42 publications were promoted by the University of Coimbra, and one interview as researcher of the month of the magazine Prevenir September 2022. In addition, from the social media of the CIEPQPF center, the project was promoted by the Facebook webpage.
Training of researchers and students
Post-doctoral supervision - Maria Fernanda Medeiros Xavier (03–12/2020), developed at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Coimbra, within the scope of the STERILAEROGEL project.
PhD degree thesis- Cristiana Sofia Amaral Bento (FCT Scholarship UI/BD/151008/2021) developed in the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Coimbra (FCTUC), Portugal, under co-supervising of Dr Hermínio de Sousa. PhD in Chemical Engineering, 2021/2024. “Innovative method to prepare sterilized biopolymer-based aerogels via an integrated process”.
Master Thesis (Post-Bologna) – Alberto João Morgado Ribeiro Malafaia Teixeira– developed in Department of Chemical Engineering – FCT – University of Coimbra under co-supervising of Dr. Marco Paulo Seabra dos Reis (2020/2021). Master in Biomedical Engineering. “Analysis and optimization of the Drying process of an aerogel for biomedical applications”. http://hdl.handle.net/10316/92188
Master Thesis (Post-Bologna) – Cristiana Bento – developed in Department of Chemical Engineering – FCT – University of Coimbra under co-supervising of Dr. Nuno Empadinhas (Centro de Neurociências e Biologia Celular, CNC) (2018/2019). Master in Chemical Engineering. “Supercritical fluid sterilization of biopolymer-based aerogels for biomedical applications/Esterilização supercrítica de aerogéis compostos por polímeros naturais para aplicações biomédicas”. http://hdl.handle.net/10316/88134
Master Thesis (Post-Bologna) – Beatriz Sousa Agostinho – developed in Department of Chemical Engineering – FCT – University of Coimbra under co-supervising of Dr. Hermínio de Sousa (2018/2019). Master in Chemical Engineering. “Supercritical fluid drying of biopolymer-based aerogels for biomedical applications/Secagem supercrítica de aerogéis compostos por polímeros naturais para aplicações biomédicas”. http://hdl.handle.net/10316/87841
Internship
Vania Maria Moreira da Rocha - Project Discipline of the Biochemistry course (LBIOQ), 3rd year, 12 ECTS, 2021/2022. – internship developed at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Coimbra, within the scope of the STERILAEROGEL project.
Tânia Boiças, Project Discipline of the Biochemistry course (LBIOQ), 3rd year, 12 ECTS, (2020/2021) – internship developed at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Coimbra, within the scope of the STERILAEROGEL project.
Luíza S. Almeida – student of the Chemical Engineering course (06-08/2021) - internship developed at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Coimbra, within the scope of the STERILAEROGEL project.
Sónia Sousa, student of the Biomedical Engineering course (08-09/2020) – internship developed at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Coimbra, within the scope of the STERILAEROGEL project.
