| KEYWORD |
Development of selective adsorbents for the removal of sugars from olive waste
keywords OLIVE WASTE, POLYPHENOLS ANALYSIS, SELECTIVE ADSORBENTS
Reference persons BARBARA ONIDA
External reference persons Dr Marta Gallo, DISAT, Politecnico di Torino
Research Groups SMAC
Thesis type EXPERIMENTAL LABORATORY
Description The analysis and recovery of polyphenols (natural antioxidant molecules) from olive waste contributes to the sustainability of the sector, reducing its environmental impact and promoting the development of formulations of interest for other applications (e.g. pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, etc.). However, it has been observed that the measurement of polyphenols content in oil wastewater is strongly affected by the presence of some compounds, such as sugars, which must therefore be selectively removed before measuring the polyphenols content.
Given these premises, the aim of this thesis is the synthesis, characterization and application of properly functionalized mesoporous silica-based supports for the selective removal of sugars from oil wastewater.
The experimental activity will include:
- the functionalization of SBA-15 type silicas with different porosity with organic functional groups for the selective adsorption of sugars;
- the characterization of materials by means of electron microscopy, nitrogen physisorption for the measurement of the specific surface and porosity, thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy;
- selective adsorption tests of sugars from different complex matrices, in collaboration with Prof. Bruzzoniti at the University of Turin
Deadline 28/07/2023
PROPONI LA TUA CANDIDATURA