Info
- Email: rafael.valdes@uab.cat
Bio
Rafa Valdés Arnal is a Chemical Engineer (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2018) with a master’s degree in Biological and Environmental Engineering (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2020). He is currently doing a PhD at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2020) on recycling textiles technology.
His research focusses on studying different textile recycling technologies and analyze their environmental impacts trough Life Cycle Assessment. His current work is centered in the use of ionic liquids to recycle waste textiles with a cotton-polyester composition (50/50), to recover both materials, and compare the environmental impact with other existing textile recycling technologies.
Current research interests
- Evaluation of BMIMAcetate’s environmental impact and waste treatment.
- Understanding the role of ionic liquids when dissolving organic macromolecules.
- Study and analyze hydrothermal and ionic liquid processes as future textile recycling technologies.
- Study the ionic liquid process working at different dissolution temperatures and the environmental impact that it entails.