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In this work, the effectiveness of atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma, generated by a dielectric barrier discharge and operated in air, in successfully crosslinking water soluble pullulan electrospun fibers is demonstrated. After being exposed to plasma, the fibers show a remarkable capability to preserve structural stability and fiber morphology upon water exposure. The gel fraction and the water absorption are quantified to evaluate the crosslinking efficiency of different plasma operating conditions, and ATR-FTIR characterization provided some insights into plasma-induced modification of pullulan chemical structure.

The growing shortage of essential nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, is prompting researchers to find advanced recovery processes from wastewater derived from sewage treatment plants and other wastewater sources. In this work we propose a novel compostable electrospun filtration membrane based on poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), for nutrient recovery through struvite crystallization from water. Composite electrospun PLLA fibers were fabricated starting from a suspension of PLLA solution and struvite crystals. Struvite within PLLA fibers worked as a nucleant agent for additional crystallization of magnesium, ammonium and phosphate hexahydrate out of water. Morphological, structural and physical properties of the obtained membranes were studied and the ammonium concentration decrease in the analyzed water samples was measured and correlated to struvite precipitation on the electrospun membranes. The obtained compostable struvite-rich membrane can be used in agriculture to provide a nutrient-rich humus for direct application to the land.

Development of antibacterial electrospun non-woven meshes is of critical importance in several areas such as healthcare products, food packaging, water and air filtration. In this work a novel biocidal polymer, which results active against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, was synthesized starting from the biobased ricinoleic acid monomer (RA) and processed through electrospinning in combination with a biodegradable polymer poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), through a blending approach. The optimization of electrospinning process parameters allowed fabrication of defect-free nanofibers with uniform fiber diameter distribution. The chemical, physical and mechanical properties of the obtained non woven meshes were characterized and related to mesh structure and composition. The electrospun constructs were microbiologically evaluated and antibacterials tests confirmed their high biocidal efficacy. Mortality rate of E.Coli and S.Aureus was very high and it increased with the amount of PRA in the blends. Notably, the antimicrobial performances of the meshes were retained after 3 cycles of incubation with cell bacterial suspension. The obtained biobased and biodegradable antibacterial electrospun meshes can find useful application in several sectors.