Agrochemicals, mainly fertilizers and pesticides, are fundamental compounds in agriculture, as without them it would be impossible to meet the enormous demand for food in today’s world. Although the use of agrochemicals is an ancient practice, their excessive use is currently deteriorating the quality of ecosystems, impacting public health and even leading to the development of new resistant strains.

In recent years, different strategies have been proposed in order to reduce the amount of agrochemicals needed to ensure crop protection and growth, including the development of nanomaterials capable of improving the solubility and stability of agrochemicals, releasing them in a controlled and targeted manner and improving their bioavailability and adhesion.

In this context, a new class of porous materials, known as Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), has attracted increasing interest for the efficient incorporation and subsequent controlled release of active molecules. Compared to classical porous materials (carbons, silicas), MOFs have a number of advantages in agriculture, since they are highly porous, have reactive centers where different agrochemicals can interact, are stable in water and can be modified to achieve the desired properties (e.g. plant adhesion).

AgroMOFs, a promising avenue to achieve multifunctional agrochemicals

At IMDEA Energía, the Advanced Porous Materials Unit is composed of experts in the synthesis and characterization of new porous materials and their application in various fields, such as energy or the environment. In collaboration with the University of Granada, a new MOF-type material called GR-MOF-7 has been developed, based on two active ingredients: the herbicide of natural origin (glufosinate) and copper, as a nutrient and with antibacterial activity. It should be noted that this is the first time that a MOF has been synthesized using agrochemical compounds (glufosinate and copper) as precursors, which we have defined as AgroMOFs.

Firstly, and taking into account that pesticides are usually sprayed as an aqueous solution or in suspension in the fields, this work demonstrates the stability of GR-MOF-7 in water for at least five days. In addition, its agrochemical activity (bactericidal and herbicidal) was tested against two types of bacteria that cause infections in plants (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli), and the weed Raphanus sativus, an invasive species in berry crops and grapevines. GR-MOF-7 is effective against both types of bacteria, even enhancing the antibacterial activity of its individual precursors. Moreover, the herbicidal activity of GR-MOF-7 also improves on that of its precursors, as it is capable of drying out Raphanus sativus weeds in eight days, while glufosinate remains inactive.

These results highlight that the construction of herbicide- and antibacterial-based MOFs is a promising strategy to achieve multifunctional agrochemicals, opening new avenues in the safe and efficient application of MOFs in agriculture.
More information: 10.1021/acsami.2c07113

On September 29th, 2022, the IMDEA Energy Institute organized Workshop “Urban grids and microgrids” within the framework of Promint-CM R&D project. Outstanding speakers from both academic and business backgrounds, representing the entire value chain of electricity networks, took part: Francisco Javier Rodríguez (Alcalá de Henares University), Jesús Varela (i-DE Iberdrola Group), José Conrado Martínez (ADIF), Enrique Doheijo and Fernando Garay (Deloitte Spain), Miguel Ochoa (Huawei), Enrique Serrano (B5tec) and Milan Prodanovic, Head of the Electrical Systems Unit (IMDEA Energy).

During the event, the main challenges of the development of urban electricity networks were discussed like urban and rail transport decarbonization, opportunities provided by the integration of renewables to the energy markets and development of technical solutions (electronic power converters, storage systems and management algorithms). The questions raised by the attendees and the debate they provoked made it clear that technologies for urban grids and microgrids are indeed of interest for specialists and general public and represent objectives for further research and development projects.

More than fifty attendees had the opportunity to see a pilot plant demonstration of algorithms for control of electricity networks in real time.

On September 19th, 2022, the IMDEA Energy Institute hold the Session “Relationship between scientists and investors” aimed at facilitating the technological entrepreneurship of researchers and bringing the results of research to the market through the creation of technology-based companies, spinoffs. Outstanding speakers participated: Alberto Moratiel, Promotion and Institutional Relations of ENISA, Pilar González, Head of the Department of Institutional Promotion and Territorial Cooperation of CDTI, Alberto Díaz, Founding Partner of BeAble Capital, Roberto Jiménez, Entrepreneurship Manager of Repsol Foundation and Oscar Sala, Director of the technology transfer program The Collider of Mobile World Capital Barcelona.

The event has contributed to planting among researchers the seed of technology-based entrepreneurship as a way to transfer the research results.

On 27th September, IMDEA Energy will be holding the 3nd edition of our annual workshop for senior researchers.

The event will take place in person in the auditorium.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL PROGRAMME HERE 

Five IMDEA institutes are, as of September 1, 2022, collaborating institutions in the Spanish edition of The Conversation. Researchers from five of IMDEA’s centers (Water, Materials, Energy, Software and Food) can now publish informative articles on issues related to their field of expertise in The Conversation Spain, thanks to an agreement signed between the two institutions.

IMDEA

The IMDEA Institutes are research centers of excellence based in the Community of Madrid, established by the regional government as independent foundations. The mission of the IMDEA Institutes is to carry out and promote R&D&I activities of excellence in the Madrid region and, by extension, in Spain, in close collaboration with the productive sector.

IMDEA Institutes focus on seven strategic areas for society from a business, scientific and technological point of view: water, food, energy, materials, nanoscience, networks and software.

THE CONVERSATION

The Conversation is the world’s leading channel for the dissemination of knowledge emanating from universities and research centers. Born in Australia, The Conversation has editions in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Indonesia, Africa and New Zealand, in addition to the Spanish edition, which was launched in the summer of 2018 and in this time has published more than 7,500 articles and achieved more than 230 million reads, adding the audience of its website and the republishing of articles in more than 500 media outlets, a list that includes major Spanish and Latin American media.

The Conversation aims to promote a permanent conversation between those who know and those who want to know, between experts who write about topics related to their specialty and a community of readers who demand quality content. In this mission, the complicity of IMDEA researchers is essential.

Incorporated as a non-profit association with a public service vocation, without commercial advertising, and with free and open access, The Conversation España already has the support of 70 academic and scientific institutions and foundations.

Universities and research centers support The Conversation because they understand that it helps them to fulfill their objectives of disseminating knowledge to society.

A new tool for IMDEA researchers

In addition to having topics proposed directly by the authors, close to their research, concerns or current affairs that touch their field of expertise, the topics of the articles can be proposed by the TCES editorial team and IMDEA.

With their participation as authors in TCES, IMDEA researchers contribute to:

Feeding the public debate with responsible, ethical, data-backed and knowledge-based analyses.
Open the source of knowledge coming from academia and research centers to provide public opinion with greater clarity and depth of analysis on society’s main problems.
Create an open space in the network for the entire community to share best practices and collaborate in the development of sustainable and intelligent responses.
Promote an editorially independent forum, based on verified data, and free from political or commercial bias.
Support and cultivate academic freedom to promote research, teaching, writing and publishing.

In exchange for this transfer of knowledge, teachers and researchers receive media and intra-institutional relevance and social and professional recognition. In many cases, the authors, after publishing in TCES, receive requests from the media or institutions to speak about their field of knowledge.

Participation in The Conversation also favors the establishment of new networks among experts and makes them direct witnesses of the impact that the dissemination of their research has on society, reaching thousands of readerships and many readers from all over the world interested in acquiring new knowledge.

On November 16th and 17th, the ‘Smart Energy & Expo (SEC) 2022’ will be held at the North Convention Center of IFEMA. Madrid, organized by the enerTIC Platform. The IMDEA Energy Institute is a collaborating entity and will actively participate in the conferences, networking meetings and sessions such as the one moderated by Félix Marín, Head of Development and Technology Transfer, on ‘Artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and cognitive services in the world of energy – Trends, opportunities and innovation’ of the previous edition.

Link and registration: : https://enertic.org/congreso2022/

The public defense of Ioan-Robert Istrate’s doctoral thesis, developed at IMDEA Energía’s Systems Analysis Unit and directed by Javier Dufour and José Luis Gálvez, will take place on September 5th at 11:30 am.

It will be publicly defended in the Departmental Building II of the Rey Juan Carlos University (Móstoles campus). Those interested in following the presentation online should connect to the following link.

Once again this year, IMDEA Energía is participating in the European Researchers’ Night, with a series of activities aimed at families and children between 5 and 10 years old, which will take place on September 30 from 18:00 hours.

After having carried out the workshops in online format in the last two years due to the pandemic by COVID, the meeting is resumed in person, with a set of activities aimed at families and children between 5 and 10 years under the title ‘Moving towards a circular economy’.

The aim is to raise awareness among children about the importance of the efficient use of resources to build a circular and sustainable world, to try to explain how energy and the different ways in which we use it can change the world and its habitability. To this end, participants will be guided on a journey through various interactive workshops, in a fun and educational event, in which almost fifty researchers from the center will participate.

The following are the four workshops planned:

1. Pedal-powered races
Push the pedals hard to win the race!  Using dynamos, participants will pedal bicycles to generate the electrical energy needed to drive several racing cars around a circuit.

2. Sustainability, life cycle and CO2
Do you dare to ‘capture’ CO2 and enclose it in soap bubbles?
Take our interactive quiz and puzzle solving to learn about concepts such as life cycle and new product research as an action to improve the environment.

3. Magic seems, yeasts and pores are
Did you know that everyday materials that can be found in our kitchens can generate enough energy to inflate one or more balloons?
Participants will carry out a “mini-fermentation” by mixing fresh yeast with hot water and sugar.
In addition, several samples of yeast and microalgae will be available for viewing under a microscope.

4.  Solar heat, chocolate and conductive materials
The concept of “concentration of sunlight” will be demonstrated by melting chocolate, using solar concentrators designed by researchers and manufactured with a 3D printer. We will have different designs to analyze how geometries and colors favor more or less the concentration and the absorption and reflection of light.

In addition, in this workshop participants will discover how conductive materials work, such as a paper clip or pencil graphite, and will understand what electrochemical conductivity is by using salt to operate various electrical circuits, such as cars, boats and/or windmills.

At the end, an ‘energizing snack’ will be served for all participants.

We look forward to seeing you!

Practical information: (From all the activities of the institution)
Title of the activity: ‘On the way to a circular economy’
Venue: Avda. Ramón de la Sagra, 3, Parque Tecnológico de Móstoles, 28935, Móstoles, Madrid
Time: from 18:00 to 20:00h
Reservation required: Yes
How to book: Through the registration form that will be enabled in September.

On September 29th, the IMDEA Energy Auditorium will host the workshop ‘Urban grids and microgrids’, a day in which the main challenges of the development of urban electricity grids and the decarbonization of railway networks, the opportunities that the integration of renewables brings to the energy markets and the development of technical solutions such as power electronics converters, storage systems and management algorithms will be discussed.

The workshop is aimed at grid operators, energy companies, technology companies in the renewable and power electronics sector, companies in the railway sector and researchers and students in the field of renewable integration.

The event is free of charge, but registration is required before September 26 by following this link.

Program

The conference will start at 9 am and will be presented by Félix Marín, from IMDEA Energía. Francisco Javier Rodríguez, from the University of Alcalá (UAH), will then present the PROMINT-CM project.

Enrique García, from Iberdrola, will present the challenges in the development of urban electric grids and José Conrado, from ADIF, will do the same on the decarbonization of railway networks.

Enrique Doheijo, from Deloitte, will speak on the new opportunities brought by the integration of renewables into the energy markets.

A representative from Huawei, to be confirmed, will give a talk on power electronics converters for power grids, followed by Enrique Serrano from B5tec on the integration of batteries in power grids.

Milan Prodanovic, from IMDEA Energía, will dedicate his speech to the demonstration of real-time management algorithms. Prodanovic, together with Francisco Javier Rodriguez, from UAH, is expected to close the day.