Oriol Cusola has worked in the patent developed by the group CELBIOTECH

A product for the hydrophobization of the surface of cellulose-based materials. The product has aqueous consistency, it is natural, and eco-friendly, and will allow to replace some petroleum-based compounds

		The patent has been focused on the surface modification of cellulosic materials, such as paper and paperboard substrates using chemical and enzymatic methods. The functionalization of cellulose is aimed to adjust its properties, obtaining products that can be used in many new applications. In the current methods, this modification is typically achieved by treating the fibers in aqueous suspension and before the formation of the substrate, which makes difficult their industrial implementation. However, in this patent applied enzymatic treatments onto already-formed cellulosic substrates, obtaining a number of advantages in terms of the formation of the sheet, chemicals consumption, and manufacture speed. One of the most interesting achievements of Oriol’s thesis has been the development of an enzymatic method for the surface treatment of cellulosic substrates, which has resulted in several publications and PATENT. Due to the conducted studies, the researcher has got several media capable of steadily-release active molecules, supports with high hydrophobic character, and supports showing antioxidant capacity. The PhD student has also made an estimation of the costs of the techniques, and pilot-plant application trials. The properties and the nature of the obtained systems, already allow a rapid industrial implementation, without much additional effort in R&D.
Video		UPC researchers patented a product that waterproofs the paper
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