Bengoechea Ruiz, CarlosGuerrero Conejo, Antonio FranciscoÁlvarez-Castillo, Estefanía2025-07-212025-07-212025-02-07Álvarez-Castillo, E. (2025). Development of biodegradable superabsorbent Materials processed from agro-industrial by-products. (Tesis Doctoral Inédita). Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla.https://hdl.handle.net/11441/175473This PhD thesis explores the development of sustainable, biodegradable superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) as an alternative to conventional synthetic polymers. Considering the growing environmental concern and the need for sustainable solutions, this research focuses on creating bio-based SAPs from proteins obtained from renewable natural sources, such as agro-food byproducts, using mainly porcine plasma protein (PPP). Its significance lies in its composition, including albumins and globulins, which exhibit excellent water-binding and gelling properties. Also, it is mostly discarded by the meat industry, so its use as basis of SAPs would revalorize a low-value product, promoting the sustainability of the overall process. So, the main goal is to produce biodegradable materials with sufficient high water absorption capacity and mechanical integrity to be suitable replacements for synthetic SAPs, typically based on acrylic derivatives. To accomplish this, the study employs techniques commonly used in the plastics industry, such as extrusion, compression, and injection molding, as well as advanced methods like 3D printing. This PhD thesis centers on the importance of understanding the physicochemical and functional properties of proteins, as well as the formulation and processing parameters that affect the final material properties. These parameters include mechanical strength, water absorption capacity, or rheological properties, all of which must align to produce a material that is both effective and eco-compatible. The outcomes of the PhD are expected to contribute to the scientific understanding and technological foundations required to develop sustainable biodegradable SAPs with a high specific surface area and porosity. This research represents a significant step towards creating eco-friendly materials that meet industrial needs.application/pdf293 p.engAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesisinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess