Room: King Willem Alexander
Date: Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Time: 15:00 - 16:00 CEST
Session code 1BO.7
Assessments of biomass potentials from sustainable cropping systems
Valorization of Spruce Bark into Carbon Materials for Crop Protection Strategies
Short Introductive summary
Spruce bark (SB), a low-value by-product of the pulp and paper industry, can be valorized into activated carbon materials (CMs) for sustainable agriculture. Building on patent ES2815148B2, this study, conducted as part of the CropSafe Project (Crop Protection Strategies for the Transition to Environmentally Friendly Agriculture), focuses on developing CMs for the adsorption and controlled release of 1,3-dimethoxybenzene (C5), a natural repellent produced by Pochonia chlamydosporia against the banana black weevil. Using mild hydrothermal and thermal processes, CMs with high surface areas (up to 1405 m2/g) were obtained, showing textural properties similar to the commercial activated carbon WVB, combining efficient C5 adsorption with sustained release. These results highlight the potential of SB as a renewable precursor for eco-friendly pest control materials, supporting circular bioeconomy principles.
Presenter
Elena Georgiana TANE
University of Alicante, Marine Sciences and Applied Biology Dpt., SPAIN
Presenter's biography
PhD candidate at the University of Alicante, focused on biomass residue valorization. I develop biochars and activated carbons from spruce bark as matrices to immobilize VOCs produced by a nematophagous fungus, which show repellent activity against the banana black weevil.
Biographies and Short introductive summaries are supplied directly by presenters and are published here unedited
Co-authors:
F. Lopez-Moya, University of Alicante, SPAIN
L.V. Lopez-Llorca, University of Alicante, SPAIN
M.C. Román-Martínez, University of Alicante, SPAIN
M.A. Lillo-Ródenas, University of Alicante, SPAIN
Session reference: 1BO.7.2