Isabel Fonts

@article{NAVARRO2025107778,

title = {The role of biogenic waste composition on pyrolysis: Part I – Char properties},

author = {África Navarro and Isabel Fonts and Joaquín Ruiz and Jesús Ceamanos and Noemí Gil-Lalaguna and María Benita Murillo and Gloria Gea},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0961953425001898},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107778},

issn = {0961-9534},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Biomass and Bioenergy},

volume = {197},

pages = {107778},

abstract = {The yield and properties of char derived from the co-digested manure and its main macro-components, including organic (cellulose, lignin, and protein) components and an inorganic component (CaCO3), produced at different pyrolysis temperatures (350, 550, and 750 °C) have been studied. Experimental results obtained from a surrogate co-digested manure were compared with the theoretically calculated values to explore potential interactions between these macro-components. The char properties analyzed included elemental analysis, pH, FTIR, XPS, and specific surface area. The effect of pyrolysis temperature on many properties was similar, regardless of the precursor (macro-component). Increasing pyrolysis temperature led to higher C content (>90 wt% for cellulose char at 750 °C), pH (from (∼7 for cellulose at 350 °C to ∼13 for co-digested manure), and specific surface area, observing a marked development of ultramicroporosity and microporosity, especially at the highest pyrolysis temperature studied, 750 °C. An exception was observed for the char derived from proteins due to melting during pyrolysis. By far, the solids from the pyrolysis of cellulose and lignin exhibited the most microporosity development (SSDR ≥ 650 m2 g-1), reaching, at the highest temperature studied, values close to those of physically activated carbons. Pyrolysis of the surrogate co-digested manure revealed the occurrence of Maillard reactions and also showed an interesting interaction involving CaCO3. The CaCO3 thermal decomposition is promoted when it is embedded into the organic matrix, where the CO2 generated during decomposition favored the Boudouard reaction of C from the organic components. This results in a lower biochar yield, 32 wt% versus 37 wt% (expected value), and a higher development of microporosity in the char.},

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pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{NAVARRO2025107775,

title = {The role of biogenic waste composition on pyrolysis: Part II – Char CO2 adsorption capacity},

author = {África Navarro and Isabel Fonts and Joaquín Ruiz and Jesús Ceamanos and Noemí Gil-Lalaguna and Javier Ábrego and Gloria Gea},

url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0961953425001862},

doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107775},

issn = {0961-9534},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-01-01},

journal = {Biomass and Bioenergy},

volume = {197},

pages = {107775},

abstract = {The CO2 adsorption capacities (AC) of biochars obtained at 350, 550, and 750 °C from the main organic (cellulose, lignin, and protein) and inorganic (CaCO3) macro-components of biogenic waste, as well as from co-digested manure (CDM), have been determined for different CO2 concentrations (2–83 vol%) at 25 °C and atmospheric pressure. CO2 adsorption isotherms have been determined using two different experimental methodologies: thermogravimetric and fixed-bed dynamic adsorption tests, yielding similar results. The composition effect has been analyzed by comparing the adsorption performance of the chars derived from individual macro-components and the potential interactions occurring during their co-pyrolysis. Lignin and cellulose-derived chars showed higher CO2 retention (≈77 mg gbiochar−1) than those produced from protein (≈40 mg gbiochar−1). Pyrolyzed CaCO3 exhibited negligible CO2 adsorption. For surrogate_CDM chars, prepared at pyrolysis temperatures high enough to decompose CaCO3 in the organic matrix, experimental results showed a synergistic effect, with AC between 14 % and 47 % higher than theoretical predictions. This decomposition promoted the reverse Boudouard reaction and enhanced char microporosity. However, the improvement was insufficient to offset the dilution effect caused by the high CaCO3 content. AC results have been discussed based on the biochar textural and chemical properties, with ultramicroporosity being the key factor determining adsorption capacity. The AC of CDM-derived sorbents is similar to that of cellulose-derived, expressed per gram of waste (7–13 mg gwaste−1). Furthermore, the biochars retained at least 80 % of their initial AC after 3 adsorption-desorption cycles, indicating their potential for stable CO2 capture.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{fonts_bio-oil_2024,

title = {Bio-oil Fractionation According to Polarity and Molecular Size: Characterization and Application as Antioxidants},

author = {Isabel Fonts and Cristina Lázaro and Alfonso Cornejo and José Luis Sánchez and Zainab Afailal and Noemí Gil-Lalaguna and Jesús Arauzo},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.4c02641},

doi = {10.1021/acs.energyfuels.4c02641},

issn = {0887-0624},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-09-01},

urldate = {2024-09-01},

journal = {Energy & Fuels},

abstract = {Bio-oil obtained from biomass pyrolysis has great potential for several applications after being upgraded and refined. This study established a method for separating bio-oil into different fractions based on polarity and molecular size to extract phenolic and polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant properties. The fractions were analyzed using various spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques, such as GC/MS, FTIR, UV–vis, SEC, DOSY-NMR, 13C-NMR, and 31P-NMR. The antioxidant properties of these fractions were tested by examining their ability to improve the oxidative stability of biodiesel. The results strongly connected the bio-oil’s chemical functionalities and antioxidant power. During solvent fractionation, dichloromethane could extract phenolic structures, which were subsequently size-fractionated. The subfractions with lower molecular weight (in the order of monomers and dimers) outperformed the antioxidant potential of the crude bio-oil. Heavier subfractions from dichloromethane extraction did not show good antioxidant abilities, which was related to the low hydroxy group content. After solvent extraction, phenolic oligomers remained in the water-insoluble/dichloromethane-insoluble fraction, which showed good antioxidant potential despite its low solubility in biodiesel.},

note = {Publisher: American Chemical Society},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Afailal2023,

title = {Thermochemical valorization of argan nutshells: Torrefaction and air–steam gasification},

author = {Zainab Afailal and Noemí Gil-Lalaguna and Isabel Fonts and Alberto Gonzalo and Jesús Arauzo and José Luis Sánchez},

url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0016236122027946},

doi = {10.1016/J.FUEL.2022.125970},

issn = {0016-2361},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-01-01},

urldate = {2023-01-01},

journal = {Fuel},

volume = {332},

pages = {125970},

publisher = {Elsevier},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Gil-Lalaguna2022,

title = {CO2 adsorption on pyrolysis char from protein-containing livestock waste: How do proteins affect?},

author = {Noemí Gil-Lalaguna and África Navarro-Gil and Hans-Heinrich Carstensen and Joaquín Ruiz and Isabel Fonts and Jesús Ceamanos and María Benita Murillo and Gloria Gea},

doi = {10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2022.157395},

issn = {0048-9697},

year  = {2022},

date = {2022-11-01},

urldate = {2022-11-01},

journal = {Science of The Total Environment},

volume = {846},

pages = {157395},

publisher = {Elsevier},

abstract = {Biogas generation through anaerobic digestion provides an interesting opportunity to valorize some types of animal waste materials whose management is increasingly complicated by legal and environmental restrictions. To successfully expand anaerobic digestion in livestock areas, operational issues such as digestate management must be addressed in an economical and environmentally sustainable way. Biogas upgrading is another necessary stage before intending it to add-value applications. The high concentration of CO2 in biogas results in a reduced caloric value, so the removal of CO2 would be beneficial for most end-users. The current work evaluates the CO2 uptake properties (thermogravimetry study) of low-cost adsorbent materials produced from the animal wastes generated in the livestock area itself, specifically via pyrolysis of poorly biodegradable materials, such as meat and bone meal, and the digestate from manure anaerobic digestion. Therefore, the new element in this study with respect to other studies found in the literature related to biochar-based CO2 adsorption performance is the presence of high content of pyrolyzed proteins in the adsorbent material. In this work, pyrolyzed chars from both meat and bone meal and co-digested manure have been proven to adsorb CO2 reversibly, and also the chars produced from their representative pure proteins (collagen and soybean protein), which were evaluated as model compounds for a better understanding of the individual performance of proteins. The ultra-microporosity developed in the protein chars during pyrolysis seems to be the main explanation for such CO2 uptake capacities, while neither the BET surface area nor N-functionalities on the char surface can properly explain the observed results. Although the CO2 adsorption capacities of these pristine chars (6–41.0 mg CO2/g char) are far away from data of commercially activated carbons ($sim$80 mg CO2/g char), this application opens a new via to integrate and valorize these wastes in the circular economy of the primary sector.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}