Núria Garrido Soriano | Upc (original) (raw)

Papers by Núria Garrido Soriano

Waste and Biomass Valorization

In last decades, there has been an interest in using biogenic wastes and by-products as fillers o... more In last decades, there has been an interest in using biogenic wastes and by-products as fillers or reinforcements to produce polymer composites. Hence, new composites materials based on a blend of biogenic chicken feathers (CFs) and polypropylene (PP) are proposed in this work and compared, from the environmental point of view, with currently used materials as neat PP and PP reinforced with glass-fibres (PP-GF). A Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed in order to compare the environmental impact of these three materials when being used either for automotive or stationary applications. The mechanical properties of each material were taken into account to calculate the equivalent mass of each industrial application and the use phase and end of life (EoL) were included in the LCA study. The results showed that, for automotive applications and for all the materials studied (PP-GF, PP-CFs and PP) the use phase has a great contribution to the environmental impact categ...

Science and Technology for the Built Environment, 2015

Surgery room specific energy use is among the highest in the built environment due to the stringe... more Surgery room specific energy use is among the highest in the built environment due to the stringent indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and infection control requirements. This study uses a calibrated energy model to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of a variety of ventilation control strategies that reduce surgery room energy use while maintaining IEQ and infection control performance. The individual control strategies evaluated in this study are 1) Temperature and relative humidity reset, 2) Air recirculation, 3) Airflow reset, and 4) Particle concentration based airflow control. Combinations of these strategies are also evaluated. The best performing combinations of control strategies can reduce surgery room primary energy use, CO 2 emissions and energy costs by up to 86% relative to the standard practice. Temperature and relative humidity reset is the strategy that offers the largest benefits. Particle concentration based airflow control shows modest results partly due to the conservative infection control performance target. Future research should define infection control performance thresholds during operation.

edificio es una tarea compleja debido principalmente a dos factores clave. En primer lugar, es ne... more edificio es una tarea compleja debido principalmente a dos factores clave. En primer lugar, es necesario definir la física y las complejas relaciones entre todos los elementos que pertenecen al modelo. En segundo lugar, es necesario entender estas relaciones por un equipo que normalmente está compuesto por personal con experiencia y formación diferente. En este trabajo, proponemos el uso de un lenguaje formal para representar el comportamiento dinámico de un modelo que representa todo el ciclo de vida de un edificio (diseño, construcción, uso-mantenimiento y deconstrucción), y técnicas de co-simulación para combinar motores de simulación diferentes y obtener lo mejor de cada uno. Se presenta un modelo de sostenibilidad, Building OptiSim, de tal manera que permite obtener una solución óptima. El edificio que utilizamos para realizar la simulación es la construcción LOW 3, proyecto presentado en el concurso Solar Decathlon 2010, por la ETSAV (UPC).

Energies, 2017

A Solution Validation involves comparing the data obtained from the system that are implemented f... more A Solution Validation involves comparing the data obtained from the system that are implemented following the model recommendations, as well as the model results. This paper presents a Solution Validation that has been performed with the aim of certifying that a set of computer-optimized designs, for a double façade, are consistent with reality. To validate the results obtained through simulation models, based on dynamic thermal calculation and using Computational Fluid Dynamic techniques, a comparison with the data obtained by monitoring a real implemented prototype has been carried out. The new validated model can be used to describe the system thermal behavior in different climatic zones without having to build a new prototype. The good performance of the proposed double façade solution is confirmed since the validation assures there is a considerable energy saving, preserving and even improving interior comfort. This work shows all the processes in the Solution Validation depicting some of the problems we faced and represents an example of this kind of validation that often is not considered in a simulation project.

Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 2017

The aim of this study is to analyse the environmental impacts (EIs) of the process of preparation... more The aim of this study is to analyse the environmental impacts (EIs) of the process of preparation of new biocomposite materials obtained from polylactide (PLA) and chicken feathers (CFs). Two CFs stabilization methods and different percentages of CFs have been studied. The EIs of these new composites were compared to the impact of virgin PLA. Cradle-to-gate life cycle inventories were assessed for 0% to 35% v/v of CFs in a CFs/PLA biocomposite. Two CFs stabilization processes, autoclave and surfactant, were tested and compared with the aim to prioritize one of them from the environmental point of view. A composite plate of 184x184x2.2 mm 3 was defined as the functional unit. Autoclave stabilization process exhibited lower environmental impact compared with surfactant stabilization process mainly due to both the lower requirements of electricity and water and the reduced pollution loads of the generated wastewater. Thus, the autoclave process was selected as the standard method when comparing the EIs of the proposed CFs/PLA biocomposites. In this sense, the addition of CFs to PLA matrix proportionally reduces all the EIs compared to pure PLA due to the replacement of PLA with CFs. This behaviour can be explained because the PLA production accounts for the 99% of the impact of the biocomposite. Consequently, CFs conveniently stabilized might be an alternative raw material to prepare CFs/PLA biocomposites with less environmental impact compared to pure PLA.

Building Simulation Conference Proceedings

The paper describes OptiHab study, done in the framework of the MARIE project. The objective of O... more The paper describes OptiHab study, done in the framework of the MARIE project. The objective of OptiHab is to provide technical and economic information to optimize the energy renovation of residential sector in Catalonia, ensuring the comfort of the users. The information of the study gives the criteria to develop regional strategies and policies to improve the energy efficiency of the residential sector. The method used and the results of one building typologies are presented. In addition, the results have been used to propose a subsidy plan for the energy renovation of buildings based on costeffective measures.

E-learning resources for experimentation in chemistry subject

Vídeo de presentació del projecte Aquí STEAM, una iniciativa de la Universitat Politècnica de Cat... more Vídeo de presentació del projecte Aquí STEAM, una iniciativa de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) per atreure talent femení cap als estudis de tecnologia i enginyeria, adreçada específicament a noies d’entre 9 i 14 anys de Catalunya. El programa vol trencar els estereotips i rols de gènere establerts en la societat i fer visibles nous referents femenins d’una manera atractiva i propera per a les noies. Núria Garrido, vicerectora de Docència i Estudiantat de la UPC, i Gemma Fargas, vicerectora de Responsabilitat Social i Igualtat de la UPC, expliquen quins són els objectius del projecte i les principals accions i activitats que s'ofereixen als centres de primària i secundària.Vídeo de presentació del projecte Aquí STEAM, una iniciativa de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) per atreure talent femení cap als estudis de tecnologia i enginyeria, adreçada específicament a noies d’entre 9 i 14 anys de Catalunya. El programa vol tre...

L’objectiu principal d’aquest estudi és verificar el compliment del DB-HE1 i la qualificació ener... more L’objectiu principal d’aquest estudi és verificar el compliment del DB-HE1 i la qualificació energètica de l’edifici Can Marfà de Mataró.Preprin

Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences, 2016

The implementation of the European Space for Higher Education has entailed new requirements for S... more The implementation of the European Space for Higher Education has entailed new requirements for Spanish Higher Education Programs. Regulations (RD 1393, 2007) stablish that university programs, in order to have official validity, must be submitted to an external evaluation process before their official implementation, denominated Validation, and to an ex-post process or Accreditation. Terrassa School of Engineering (EET) was one of the first schools in Spain to adapt to the European Space for Higher Education, in the academic period 2009-10 and then, one of the first university institutions submitted to an accreditation process. In this communication, the important role of the Internal Quality Assurance System in the assessment of the school's programs is exposed as well as the approach followed in the key steps of the process: Accreditation

Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2019

Chicken feathers (CFs) are currently a biogenic solid waste generated on a large scale and around... more Chicken feathers (CFs) are currently a biogenic solid waste generated on a large scale and around the world. Its valorization could provide a great opportunity to manufacture environmentally friendly materials and increase the profit of poultry processors. The aim of this study was to fabricate sound absorbing nonwoven materials using CFs wastes to evaluate both the environmental impact of their fabrication processes using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology and the acoustic performance and to compare the results with a conventional insulating material such as stone wool (SW). The study showed that it was possible to fabricate CFs-wool nonwovens incorporating up to 50 % w/w of CFs. The new material showed similar acoustic properties to those of SW, even behaving better for frequencies below 2200 Hz. LCA study showed that the environmental impacts decrease when the amount of CFs increases in those nonwoven materials containing CFs-wool, except for abiotic depletion and eutrophication impact categories. However, despite the synthetic nature of the SW, SW only presented worse environmental performance than the CFs based nonwoven materials for few impact categories (depletion of abiotic resources, human toxicity and photo-oxidant formation) due to the negative contribution caused by the incorporation of wool (W) into the nonwoven materials.

L’objecte d’aquest document és fer una anàlisi de la qualificació energètica d’un edifici plurifa... more L’objecte d’aquest document és fer una anàlisi de la qualificació energètica d’un edifici plurifamiliar de 24 habitatges de protecció oficial a Cerdanyola del Vallès. Aquesta promoció és coneguda amb el nom de Fidela Frutos, que és l’arquitecta del projectePreprin

E-learning resources for experimentation in chemistry subject

La industria avícola mundial genera una gran cantidad de residuos que en la actualidad son mayori... more La industria avícola mundial genera una gran cantidad de residuos que en la actualidad son mayoritariamente desechados. Entre ellos, las plumas (CFs), estructuras queratínicas que presentan grupos funcionales y otras propiedades que las hacen adecuadas para su utilización como sorbentes de metales en aguas contaminadas. Se estudió la sorción de Cu2+ utilizando CFs, comparando los resultados con los obtenidos para la bentonita comercial (BNT), en experimentos a pH controlado y con muestra real. Las cinéticas indican que, para concentraciones bajas de Cu2+ (0,2 mM), la sorción es mayor y más rápida para las CFs (94 2 %) que para la BNT (67 %), mientras que para concentraciones altas de metal (6 mM), la BNT mostró mayor capacidad de sorción (87 %) que las CFs (15 %). Las cinéticas se ajustaron a un modelo de pseudo-segundo orden. El modelo de Langmuir describe la sorción para las CFs, mientras que el modelo de Nernst es el que mejor se ajusta para la BNT, ya que no se aprecia saturació...

The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the potential of energetic savings of the dwellings in... more The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the potential of energetic savings of the dwellings in Catalonia and its economical impact, according to different scenarios of efficiency that have been defined according to the different regulations at state and autonomic level. 13 typologies of dwellings have been defined in order to categorize the buildings in Catalonia following these criteria: climatic zone, orientation, year of construction and type of dwelling, i.e., detached house or multifamily building. Simulations with LIDER software has been done in order to obtain the heating and cooling demand for each typology of dwelling in each climatic zone and for each orientation. It has also been studied the economical impact of each scenario. The mainly conclusions are the following: the best normative scenario is the one where the limitations imposed by the state regulations are fulfilled, CTE. With this scenario a reduction in emissions of 6.4% would be achieved with respect to the ...

Journal of Composite Materials, 2018

The valorisation of chicken feathers waste was researched in this work through the preparation of... more The valorisation of chicken feathers waste was researched in this work through the preparation of composites using ground chicken feathers as a filler (20% vol/vol) and polypropylene or low-density polyethylene matrices. In order to improve the compatibility between chicken feathers and the matrices, two different strategies were followed: first, by the chemical modification of the chicken feathers by either acetylation or silanization and second, by the addition of adhesion promoters like maleated polypropylene and maleated polyethylene. The effect of those treatments on the physical, mechanical and structural properties of the thermoplastic-chicken feathers biocomposites, which are mainly related to the fibre–matrix compatibility, was analysed. Results show that the addition of 20% (vol/vol) of unmodified chicken feathers to the thermoplastic matrices results in a significant decrease of the tensile strength associated to a weak interfacial adhesion as it was demonstrated by scann...

Energy and Buildings, 2016

This paper presents a detailed method to develop cost-optimal studies for the energy renovation o... more This paper presents a detailed method to develop cost-optimal studies for the energy renovation of residential buildings. A realistic characterization of the building has been introduced, using measurement and survey data. The method allows improving the interaction between the occupancy and the building, and the characterization of the real state of the construction. In addition, the building simulation includes vernacular strategies of the Mediterranean regions, as for example the natural ventilation and the use of solar protection. The method presented takes part of an innovative approach: two-step optimization considering thermal comfort, energy and economic criteria. The passive optimization, the first part, is the focus of the paper and evaluates the passive measures from an economic and thermal comfort point of view. This method prioritizes the passive measures rather than the active ones, guaranteeing the thermal comfort of the users in all cases. The paper shows the results of a multi-family building built in the years 1990-2007 and located in two climates C2 and B3 (Barcelona and Tarragona). The method provides technical and economic information about a set of passive energy efficiency measures, with the objective to help to make decisions to the experts, politicians and users.

Waste and Biomass Valorization

Science and Technology for the Built Environment, 2015

Energies, 2017

Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 2017

Building Simulation Conference Proceedings

E-learning resources for experimentation in chemistry subject

Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences, 2016

Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2019

E-learning resources for experimentation in chemistry subject

Journal of Composite Materials, 2018

Energy and Buildings, 2016

The calculus of building energy consumption is a demanding task because multiple factors must be ... more The calculus of building energy consumption is a demanding task because multiple factors must be considered during experimentation. Additionally, the definition of the model and the experiments is complex because the problem is multidisciplinary. When we face complex models and experiments that require a considerable amount of computational resources, the application of solutions is imperative to reduce the amount of time needed to define the model and the experiments and to obtain the answers. In this paper, we first address the definition and the implementation of an environmental model that describes the behavior of a building from a sustainability point of view and enables the use of several simulations and calculus engines in a cosimulation scenario. Second, we define a distributed experimental framework that enables us to obtain results in an accurate amount of time. This methodology has been applied to the energy consumption calculation, but it can also be applied to other modeling problems that usually require a considerable amount of resources by reducing the amount of time needed to perform modeling, implementation, verification, and experimentation.