Researcher María Dolores La Rubia, who heads the “Hydrogel0live3D” project, says that biomass can be used to create high-value products such as contact lenses, hydrogels, and filters for car air conditioners.
The University Institute of Research on Olive Grove and Olive Oils (INUO) at the University of Jaén is committed to developing potential solutions for managing the waste generated in olive groves, with the goal of reusing it and adding value. The INUO’s Process Engineering Unit has launched the “Hydrogel0live3D” project, supported by the prestigious European Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) program, which seeks to transform this waste into a strategic resource through the creation of biohydrogels.
A biohydrogel is a superabsorbent, natural, and biodegradable polymer designed to retain large amounts of water (up to hundreds of times its weight) and nutrients in the soil, gradually releasing them to the roots. In this sense, it acts as a solid reservoir that reduces the need for irrigation by up to 85%, improving the water efficiency of crops.
In her remarks, María Dolores emphasized that the project currently underway is highly innovative, as there is no similar approach in existence, which helped her earn a very high score (99.6) in the evaluation process that led to her being awarded one of the Marie Curie fellowships. This will enable her to bring to life what she has had in mind for some time, given her expertise in olive grove waste. This European program connects talented young researchers from the European Union with researchers from outside the European Union. In this case, María Dolores La Rubia is carrying out the project with Isadora Días Pérez, a researcher from Brazil who specializes in hydrogels.
The goal of the “Hydrogel0live3D” project is to convert waste generated from olive groves into high-value materials, thereby fostering a circular economy and adding value to olive grove biomass, since biohydrogels offer numerous benefits and can be used in various fields. Furthermore, while biohydrogels are primarily used in agriculture—as they are water-absorbent materials that can gradually release water as the plant needs it—they are also useful in biomedicine, helping to release medical substances as the body needs them, and even in the automotive industry to produce highly effective air conditioning filters for vehicles.
Specifically, this project involves extracting green cellulose from olive grove waste, a raw material that enables the development of functional and sustainable materials using advanced 3D printing techniques. This combination of biotechnology and additive manufacturing allows for unprecedented versatility in the production and application of new materials. In fact, this project began six months ago, and the results obtained have exceeded initial expectations; 3D printing companies have even reached out to join the initiative. Furthermore, hydrogels have a unique characteristic: they are materials that exist between a solid and a liquid state, which makes it possible to adjust their fluidity—depending on the consistency required for their intended use—and they can be produced using a 3D printer.
This project is being carried out in collaboration with the Plastic Technology Center (Andaltec); in fact, Isadora Días will spend her second year working under the supervision of Francisco Javier Navas at Andaltec to develop materials that can be used by society and companies in the sector in the near future. This collaboration combines expertise in agriculture and waste recovery, sustainable materials, and state-of-the-art 3D printing technologies.
Researcher María Dolores states that bringing together experts from different disciplines to work toward sustainability has been a wise move, since this contribution will mean no longer having to rely on a product as volatile as oil to produce plastic. Thanks to the results of this research, it will be possible to manufacture plastic materials that are more environmentally friendly because they do not contain microplastics; furthermore, they have the advantage of degrading easily, and a very large volume can be produced from a small amount of the material.
Benefits of Biohydrogels
As previously highlighted, the use of biohydrogels results in significant water savings, reducing the frequency of irrigation by 50% to 85% by retaining rainwater or irrigation water near the roots. Similarly, they allow crops to survive prolonged periods without water, transforming arid soils into productive land, and prevent nutrients from being lost through deep leaching, keeping them available for longer. Furthermore, because they are of natural origin, they degrade completely in the soil in about 7 months and may even eventually turn into humus.
Compared to synthetic hydrogels, the development of biohydrogels produces zero waste, as they leave no polluting microplastics in the soil or water after use. Furthermore, they are non-toxic to soil microbial life and to patients when used in medical treatments. Another benefit is that their structure can adapt in response to specific stimuli such as pH or temperature.
In short, the “Hydrogel0live3D” project aims to serve as a capacity-building platform, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration to develop future innovations within the framework of MSCA grants, thereby reinforcing the city of Jaén’s commitment to global sustainability.
Source: ABC (16/03/2026)
