Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Antioquia, Colombia
University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas, United States
Improving the Capabilities of Nanotechnology in Developing Countries, Mathematical Approximations in Spectroscopic Techniques and Valorization of Agro-Industrial By-Products
This project aims to promote eco-friendly valorization of Colombian agro-industrial by-products through nanotechnology and to decrease the educational gap in disadvantaged communities through the partnership between the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana and the University of Texas at San Antonio. This project will synthesize SiO2 nanoparticles through green methods based on sugarcane by-products and formulate Pickering emulsions, subsequently characterizing the emulsions by developing an algorithm based on simple spectroscopic techniques. Two courses will be created: one intended to educate small and medium sugarcane producers on how to valorize their by-products, and the other to teach students about green synthesis of nanomaterials. This will ultimately broaden the accessibility of valorizing and the developing algorithm to analyze the produced emulsions without requiring specialized equipment to sugarcane producers.