The ECPU would like to welcome Kaíque S. G. C. Oliveira, Visiting Predoctoral Researcher, to our team.
Kaíque S. G. C. Oliveira is a predoctoral visitor research from Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar, Brazil) and works on the development of new electrodes for water desalination using capacitive and faradaic deionization. In 2021 Kaíque was awarded with a 1-year research stay fellowship by the PRINT program funded by CAPES. He has experience in the development of electrochemical processes for the treatment of industrial effluents containing organic pollutants (electrooxidation and electrodeposition). Currently, Kaíque is studying new materials for brackish water desalination using electrochemical technologies (capacitive and faradaic deionization). His research interests include electrochemical processes for water desalination and organic pollution abatement, in particular: synthesis and characterization of electrode materials, design of cell and reactors, scale-up system, and electrochemical engineering. His complete CV can be found in the following link: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0372-0017.
The ECPU would like to welcome Alba Fombona, Researcher in Training, and Keyvan Mirehbar, Predoctoral Researcher, to our team.
Alba Fombona obtained her bachelor´s degree at the University of Oviedo (2020) after spending a year at Temple University (Philadephia), in collaboration with The Andrade´s Lab researcher group, specialized in the synthesis of natural products. She realized a Master´s degree in Chemistry and Sustainable Development while she obtained a scholarship called “JAE Intro” from the National Institute of Science and Technology of Carbon (INCAR), CSIC. The scholaship was focussed in the devolpment of carbon materials with a porous structure and surface chemistry controlled, and their study as anodes for sodium ion capacitors.
Her research in IMDEA-Energy will be focused on electrochemical ion-pumping technologies for environmental applications such as critical materials recovery, brackish water desalination and pollutants removal.
Keyvan Mirehbar achieved his master's degree in Environmental Engineering at Warsaw University of Technology (2020). He worked on the Internal micro-electrolysis method and its combination with advanced oxidation methods for landfill leachate treatment. At the same time, he worked as a trainee at CLOR (central laboratory for radiological protection) in Warsaw. In September 2021, he joined the MATELEC research group at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid to work on the induction of radical species in electro-magnetic systems with iron-based nanocatalysts for the degradation of organic water pollutants.
El desarrollo de baterías recargables seguras y rentables es vital para lograr reducir la huella de carbono en procesos y tecnologías de generación/almacenamiento de energía más sostenible. Sin embargo, casi todas las baterías comerciales, incluidas las tecnologías de iones de litio más eficientes, contienen elementos tóxicos, escasos y / o nocivos para el medio ambiente. Un ejemplo es que los materiales activos que forman las LIBs comerciales están basados en elementos inorgánicos que en algunos casos son muy escasos en la corteza terrestre (Litio, Cobalto, etc) y están localizados en países donde prevalecen unas condiciones laborales muy precarias para su extracción. Bajo estas premisas, las baterías actuales difícilmente cumplen con los requerimientos de sostenibilidad a los que aspiramos como sociedad.
Se prevé que las baterías acuosas de zinc sean una solución atractiva para aplicaciones viables, de alto rendimiento y de almacenamiento de energía a gran escala, pero su avance se ve obstaculizado en gran medida por la falta de electrolitos acuosos adecuados y cátodos sostenibles.
The E4F MSCA COFUND project is an initiative coordinated by Iberdrola Foundation aiming at structured international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral training in the clean and sustainable energy field.
E4F has launched its first call, with deadline on August 31st 2021, for the selection of 14 postdoctoral fellowships with a duration of 24 months (from January 2022 to December 2023) in one of the 14 hosting partner organisations, including advanced training and 3-6 months’ industrial or academic secondments.
Applicants must be experienced researchers (in possession of a doctoral degree or have at least 4 years of demonstrable research experience by the call deadline), have transnational mobility (not resided or carried out their main activity in the host country for more than 12 months in the 3 years preceding the call deadline) and be fluent in English.
The ECPU would like to welcome Débora Ruiz Martínez, Postdoctoral Researcher, to our team.
Débora Ruiz-Martínez studied chemistry at the University of Alicante. She did a master’s degree in Organic Chemistry in the research group of Professor Miguel A. Yus Astiz at the University of Alicante. Particularly, she researched the enantioselective reduction of imines and ketones, including reaction under inert atmosphere and low-temperature conditions. In January 2019, she completed her PhD degree in the interuniversity program of Electrochemistry, Science and Technology in the research group of Roberto Gómez and was graded as excellent “cum-laude”. In this period, she did a significant contribution to the research group by opening a new line of investigation on rechargeable batteries. Throughout her doctoral career, she has also participated in several research projects with European companies (Broadbit, from Finland) as a contracted researcher. In 2020, she was awarded the “UA:emprende” prize. After her PhD studies, she was postdoctoral researcher in a European project about electrochemical depolymerization of lignin (820735-LIBERATE) at the University of Alicante. Also, she was the main researcher in an applicate private project (BROADBIT-B01-20I) focused on the development of new lithium-sulfur-based batteries. Since June 2021, Dra. Débora Ruiz-Martínez holds a postdoctoral position in the Electrochemical Processes Unit of IMDEA Energy to participate in the European project LIGHT-CAP (project-ID 101017821) to develop solar redox flow battery.
