2024-12-16 09:03:00
The AIMPLAS-UV Chair held the awards ceremony of the first edition of its awards, highlighting among the awarded candidates projects that promote the use of artificial intelligence to improve plastic packaging waste managementas well as sustainable solutions for a circular economy such as plastic membranes to capture CO2 or coatings made from this material capable of storing latent heat.
This is a recognition promoted by the Chair established this year by AIMPLAS, the Technological Institute of Plastic Materials and the University of Valencia (UV) to reward academic excellence in the relevant bachelor’s (TFG) and master’s (TFM) courses. ) with the circular economy in the plastic sector.
This first edition saw the participation of fifteen candidates who value the effort and innovation of students with a strong commitment to developing sustainable solutions to respond to current challenges in the plastics sector.
Young talents together with artificial intelligence
The first prize went to Cuenca student, Alex Planas Martínez, who earned a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering at UV and completed his final work on ‘The implementation of NIR and artificial intelligence based techniques in the polyethylene packaging waste sorting process‘. Planas underlined: “I have implemented optical techniques and computer vision cameras to differentiate food contact packaging from non-food contact packaging and recycle such waste so that it can be used for the same purpose for which it was intended.”. As a result, the young man confirmed that with this project “A large amount of waste generated in the packaging sector can be recycled”.
Second prize went to Villareal student, Gorka Marco Velasco, for his final work in the master’s degree in Chemical Engineering at the UV on ‘Using ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents for the preparation of polymer-based membranes for decarbonization technologies ‘, focused on the development of polymeric membranes for CO2 capture . Marco explained that “If this technology were made available to industry, greenhouse gases could be recovered and therefore no longer released into the atmosphere.”.
Finally, the third prize went to the Valencian student Paula Gómez García, for her final work in the Master in Chemistry at the UV on ‘Polymeric coatings with latent heat storage capacity‘. Gómez clarified that “When these coatings melt, they increase in temperature and absorb energy, but when they solidify they decrease in temperature, thus emitting the energy they have absorbed.”.
In this line he highlighted that “One of the problems we have globally is the use of fossil fuels, thanks to them we obtain a large part of the energy and above all the thermal energy for homes, so with these polymeric coatings what we can create are alternatives for air conditioning homes without the need to make use of these natural resources which are limited and which are not treated adequately, which pollute when used by us”.
Furthermore, seven honorable mentions were awarded to highlight the quality of as many candidates: ‘Integration of phase change materials in recoatings of textile systems’ (Eric Fuster Navarro), ‘Preparation of hydrophobic PVDF membranes with green solvents and addition of polyethylene glycol and glycerol as pore formers’ (Alejandro Gálvez Subiela), ‘Computational modeling of the enzyme degradation mechanism of polyethylene terephthalate” (Laura Granero Parejo), “Encapsulation of agrochemical compounds in lignin by colloidal methods” (José Huerta Recasens), “Development of functional materials from biomass waste” (Lucía López Lucas), “Design of a polyethylene terephthalate recycling plant” (PET) (Lucía Mora Fernández) and “Chemical recycling of textile waste using liquids ionics” (Javier Gonzalo Young).
A high-level jury
The evaluation of the works was carried out by a jury composed of four specialists in the academic and technological fields such as Marina Patricia Arrieta Dillon, Doctor I3 contract professor of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Luis Cabedo Mas, Professor of the Universitat Jaume Io, Vicent Fombuena Borrás, Full Professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and Laura Santonja Blasco, Researcher at Polymer Char: Laboratory instruments and analytical services. Everyone highlighted the high technical-scientific quality of the applications, as well as the attention to critical areas such as recycling, sustainability and innovation in polymeric materials. At the awards ceremony, after presentations by AIMPLAS and the President, Adrián Morales, leading researcher of Mechanical Recycling at AIMPLAS, gave a lecture on the recovery of plastic waste.
Bet on talent and sustainability
With the presentation of these awards, AIMPLAS and the University of Valencia strengthen their commitment to training and promoting young talents. In the words of the director of the AIMPLAS-UV Chair, José Badia, “These awards are not just recognition
commitment of the students, but a contribution to the development of the circular economy, a key aspect for the sustainability of the plastics sector“.
The AIMPLAS-UV Chair aims to strengthen the connection between the academic world and needs industries in terms of sustainability, innovation and circular economy. Through initiatives such as these awards, we seek to promote the generation of knowledge and the search for innovative solutions to industry challenges.
Source: AIMPLAS
#AIMPLASUV #Chair #rewards #projects #based #artificial #intelligence #innovative #solutions #circularity #plastic #Environmental #news