Maria Ventura

About the research project Integrated waste treatment & valorization of chemicals: between bio and chemistry systems (Acronym: IWaTeVaC)

Research Line: Biowastes towars bioenergy and bio-based chemicals

Mentor: Prof. Juan Antonio Melero Hernández

Abstract:

IWaTeVaC has been designed to integrate bio and heterogeneous catalysis in a joint system with the objective to valorize waste materials, the so-called biomass waste. On the latest years many different technologies have been developed to valorize residues from biomass, including anaerobic (or aerobic) fermentation or chemical treatment, but will be the combination of both that provides the solution to establish a method suitable for a future industrial applications, thus combining their advantages avoiding at the same time their disadvantages. Here, we present an innovative and integrated system for, primary treatment this waste materials and secondly its transformations towards chemical products that would be able to substitute those synthesized by fossil resources. The combination of both technologies will get the best points of each field and achieve good results that could be implemented for future industrial application. Both cellulosic and organic waste will valorize by using the energy from the sun as an environmentally friendly energy source, and novel heterogeneous catalysts based on earth-abundant and non-toxic metals incorporating in this part CO₂ as a resource.

About Maria Ventura

Maria Ventura awarded her PhD from University of Alcalá in 2012 in the field of organometallic chemistry and catalytic transformations using eco-friendly technologies. After that, she moved to University of Hokkaido (Japan) where she worked with Prof. Tamotsu Takahashi in the same field as the PhD. When she finished her stay in Japan, she decided to move to the exciting field of biomass transformations and heterogeneous catalysts. In this period, she worked with Prof. Michele Aresta in Bari, Italy. During this time, she gained important knowledge about heterogeneous catalysis, biomass and CO₂ transformations, tools that would help her to win a project and prize for her achievements in the field of green chemistry. A partner formed by Unesco-IUPAC-Phosagro created this prize that is awarded to young researcher specialized in the field of green chemistry. The project was developed at Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ) in Valencia where she worked as the principal investigator, developing new heterogeneous catalysts from a waste material.  She is the main author of several papers and reviews as well as of various poster and oral communications at international and national conferences. In addition, she is passionate about scientific dissemination and she has participated in various dissemination programs in both internet and schools among others.

More in ORCID: 0000-0002-7173-3995