News

From 13–15 October 2025 I participated in the 2025 Conference of the ECUST–University of Aveiro Joint Research Center for Sustainable Chemistry and Materials, hosted by East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) in Shanghai.

Representing the GreenPATH project, I delivered the talk “Plastic Alchemy: Greener Approaches to Polymer Recycling”, highlighting recent work on greener solvents and enzymatic routes for the circular recycling of engineering plastics.

This international meeting was an excellent opportunity to strengthen collaboration between ECUST and the University of Aveiro, and to exchange ideas with researchers engaged in sustainability and innovation in materials science.

You can read the full post  here, and explore additional media coverage here and here (in Chinese).

From 20–24 July 2025, we attended 27th IUPAC International Conference on Chemical Thermodynamics (ICCT2025) in Porto, Portugal. The conference brought together leading experts in chemical thermodynamics, covering phase equilibria, molecular modeling, calorimetry, solution thermodynamics, separation processes, and sustainability-oriented applications.

ICCT2025 provided an excellent opportunity to showcase our work, exchange ideas, and strengthen collaborations at the interface of thermodynamics, solvent design, and sustainable materials processing.

Poster Presentations

• Ana M. Ferreira — “Paving the way to a sustainable future: COSMO-RS as a tool to identify eutectic solvents for selective polymer dissolution” (GreenPATH project).

• Gabriel L. Camilo — “Optimizing solubility of redox species to boost energy density in redox flow batteries.”

From 15–20 June 2025, Ana M. Ferreira attended the Joint Meeting: 14th International Symposium on Supercritical Fluids and the 9th International Solvothermal and Hydrothermal Association Conference in Bali, Indonesia. The event gathered leading researchers in green chemistry, fluid-phase technologies, and sustainable materials processing.

This meeting offered a strong forum to share results, exchange ideas, and build collaborations around supercritical fluids, solvothermal/hydrothermal methods, solvent design, and circular materials.

Oral Presentations

• Ana M. Ferreira — “Optimization of Artemisinin Extraction from Artemisia annua L. Using Bio-Based Solvents and Accelerated Solvent Extraction”
  
  

Poster Presentations

• Ana M. Ferreira — “Plastic waste metamorphosis: greener solvents and enzymes for circular transformation” (GreenPATH project).

From May 12–16, 2025, we participated in the International Symposium on Green Chemistry (ISGC 2025), held in La Rochelle, France. This international event brought together leading experts from around the world to present and discuss cutting-edge research in sustainable chemistry, including polymer recycling, green solvents, biomass valorization, energy storage, and circular economy strategies.

ISGC 2025 provided an excellent opportunity for us to showcase our research, exchange ideas, and strengthen international collaborations in the field of green and sustainable chemistry. The work we presented reflects our shared commitment to developing environmentally friendly solutions and advancing sustainable technologies.

Oral Presentations

• Ana M. Ferreira – "Unlocking Biomass Potential: Eco-Friendly Extraction with Hydrated Bio-Based Solvents"

• Ana M. Ferreira – "Designing Eutectic Solvents with COSMO-RS for Enhanced Lignin Depolymerization by Laccase” (collaboration)

• Ana M. Ferreira – "Advancing polymer recycling: COSMO-RS-guided selection of eutectic solvents for selective dissolution" (student’s work)

Poster Presentations

• Ana M. Ferreira – "The Role of Additives in the Enzymatic Degradation of High-Density Polyethylene" (student’s work, GreenPATH project).

• Isabella W. Cordova – "Optimizing Artemisinin Extraction from Artemisia annua L. with Biobased Solvents and Accelerated Solvent Extraction" (student’s work)

• Helena Passos – "Hydrometallurgical recovery of valuable and critical metals from waste tantalum capacitors" (collaboration)

Mariana I. S. Aguiar won the Best Poster Award at the  9th Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference (9th GSCC) in Pune, India. Her work, "Enhancing Plastic Waste Recycling: Investigating the Impact of Additives on Polymer Degradation via Laccase from Trametes versicolor," was co-authored with Andreia F. Sousa, Ana P. M. Tavares, Ana M. Ferreira, and João A. P. Coutinho.

The study explores how removing additives from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) improves enzymatic degradation, contributing to more efficient and sustainable plastic recycling. This research is part of the GreenPATH project, which focuses on developing sustainable pretreatment processes for polymer recycling.

Congratulations to the entire team on this outstanding achievement!

From March 4-6, 2025, we had the opportunity to participate in the 9th Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference (9th GSCC), held in Pune, India. This international event gathered experts from around the world to discuss cutting-edge research in sustainable chemistry, including polymer recycling, green solvents, energy storage solutions, biomass valorization, and more.
The 9th GSCC was an incredible platform for showcasing our research, exchanging ideas, and fostering international collaborations in green and sustainable chemistry. The work presented reflects a strong commitment to developing environmentally friendly solutions and advancing sustainable technologies.

Oral Presentations

• Ana M. Ferreira – "Sustainable Extraction of High-Value Biomolecules: Unlocking the Potential of Bio-Based Solvents for Biomass Valorization”

• Gabriel L. Camilo – "Maximizing Energy Density by Optimizing Redox Species Solubility in Redox Flow Batteries" (student’s work)

• Mónia A. R. Martins – "Plastics dissolution and recovery with terpene-based green solvents" (collaboration)

• Mariana I. S. Aguiar – "COSMO-RS as a tool to identify eutectic solvents for selective polymer dissolution" (student’s work, GreenPATH project)

Poster Presentations

• Ana M. Ferreira – "Assessing Zwitterionic Compounds Analogous to Ionic Liquids for Enhancing the Solubility of Hydrophobic Substances"

• Mariana I. S. Aguiar – "Enhancing the recycling of plastic waste by evaluating the impact of additives on the enzymatic degradation of polymers" (student’s work, GreenPATH project)

In this interview, I shared my journey in science, from my early interest in mathematics to the experiences that led me to research in chemical engineering.

I talked about the challenges of building a career in science, the importance of patience and persistence, and what drives me the most: solving real-world problems and mentoring students. I also highlighted the importance of international experiences and how they shaped my perspective and growth as a researcher.

One key lesson? Don’t fear mistakes—they are essential for learning and progress.

Watch the full interview HERE

Read the full news article  HERE

The Plastic 360º Workshop, organized by CICECO researchers, gathered 110 participants from academia, industry, and environmental agencies to discuss polymer recovery and recycling. The event emphasized cross-sector collaboration, simplifying plastic types, and improving waste separation to enhance the competitiveness of recycled materials. Key challenges included plastic mixtures and contaminants, with proposals to modernize communication and standardize recycling processes.

Read the full news article  HERE
More information about the workshop: Plastic 360º Workshop

The article "Enhanced Antimalarial Activity of Extracts from Artemisia annua L. Achieved with Aqueous Solutions of Salicylate Salts and Ionic Liquids" is the inaugural cover article of Chem & Bio Engineering. 

The work "Enhancing solubility of hydrophobic compounds: exploring zwitterionic compounds as alternative hydrotopes," developed in collaboration between the Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal and the Kanazawa University, Japan has been honored with the Best Poster Award at the ILMAT2023 conference in Porto, Portugal, held from November 21-24, 2023.

Here you can read about my experiences during my postdoctoral stay at Kanazawa University in Japan from July to September 2022, focusing on the cultural, academic, and personal aspects of my time there

Issue No. 21 (P21): https://lnkd.in/dp-ryyfg  

The work "Enhancing solubility of hydrophobic compounds: exploring zwitterionic compounds as alternative hydrotopes," developed in collaboration between the Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal and the Kanazawa University, Japan has been honored with the Best Poster Award at the COIL 2023 conference in Lyon, France, held from April 24-28, 2023.

Sandra S. Silva, MSc student in Biochemistry, and the researcher Filipe H. B. Sosa, both members of the research group PATh, CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, of the Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro (DQ-UA), were awarded the prize for best poster in the "International Symposium on Solubility Phenomena and Related Equilibrium Processes" (ISSP19), by the "International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry" (IUPAC). 

Isa Sucena, estudante de mestrado integrado em Engenharia Química, do Departamento de Química, da Universidade de Aveiro (DQ-UA), foi reconhecida com o prémio de melhor poster pela “De Gruyter Physical Sciences” e “Green Chemistry (Royal Society of Chemistry)”, na “25th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference”, organizada pela “ACS Green Chemistry Institute” que decorreu em formato digital nos dias 14 a 18 de junho. 

Ana M. Ferreira, investigadora do CICECO- Instituto de Materiais de Aveiro, do Departamento de Química (DQ), da Universidade de Aveiro (UA), foi reconhecida com o prémio de melhor poster pela Elsevier no congresso Biopartitioning & Purification (BPP 2019).

Nature Catalysis highlighted integrated process for enzymatic catalysis, developed by CICECO and TUAT (Japan) research team, that allows product recovery and enzyme reuse. 

Uma equipa de investigadores do Departamento de Química (DQ) e do CICECO-Instituto de Materiais de Aveiro da Universidade de Aveiro (UA) demonstrou que os sistemas aquosos bifásicos podem ser utilizados como uma plataforma integrada de reação-separação, recorrendo à sua termorreversibilidade. O trabalho promete ser uma mais-valia no desenvolvimento de processos integrados mais sustentáveis.