Mirtha A. O. Lourenço

Assistant Researcher

Contact

Department

  • Chemistry
  • 29.3.28

Research

Links

Latest News

Summary

I am an Assistant Researcher at the University of Aveiro and CICECO, working in the field of advanced materials for sustainable energy and environmental applications. My research focuses on the development of materials for CO₂ capture and conversion in biogas upgrading, with particular interest in porous carbon and silica-based materials, single-atom catalysts, and integrated adsorption–conversion systems. I currently coordinate the CharM project, dedicated to the design of dual-functional materials capable of simultaneously capturing and converting CO₂ into value-added products.

I obtained my degree in Chemistry and my MSc in Chemical and Industrial Processes from the University of Coimbra, followed by a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Aveiro. My doctoral research focused on functionalized mesoporous organosilicas for adsorption and catalysis, combining computational and experimental approaches.

After completing my PhD, I joined the Center for Sustainable Future Technologies (CSFT) at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Turin, Italy, where I worked on carbon-based materials for gas adsorption, separation, and catalytic CO₂ reduction. In 2021, I returned to the University of Aveiro to contribute to the ERC-funded NMR4CO2 project under the coordination of Dr. Luís Mafra, focusing on porous materials for CO₂ adsorption and separation. In parallel, I held an FCT Junior Researcher position dedicated to biomass waste valorization for biogas upgrading.

Between 2023 and 2025, my research activities focused on the GRACE project, developed within the framework of my European Research Area Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF 2021) at the University of Aveiro/CICECO, where I worked on sustainable porous silica materials for CO₂ capture from biogas. This fellowship included research secondments at the University of Iceland and SINTEF Industry in Norway, strengthening my international collaborations and multidisciplinary expertise.

My research is driven by the development of sustainable materials and processes that support carbon management, renewable energy, and circular economy strategies.

Projects

Synergistic Dual Functional Materials for Efficient CO2 Adsorption and Conversion in Biogas Upgrading

Funded under ERDF Funds through COMPETE 2030 and by National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of the project COMPETE2030-FEDER-00776600. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54499/2023.18333.ICDT

 

Rationale design of sustainable porous organosilicas for optimal CO2 uptake from biogas (GRACE)

Funded under the HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-TALENTS-02; Type of Action: HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101090287/de

Biomass waste valorization for biogas upgrading (SWAN)

Funded under the CEEC– 4th Edition by FCT (2021.01158.CEECIND)

Ongoing Supervisions

Iago C. Vogel

Research Fellowship

Joana Carolina Santos de Oliveira

Research Fellowship

Pedro Ouro

PhD Student

Renato Silva Vala

PhD Student

Tiago Fernando Teixeira Morais

PhD Student

Projects

Publications

Silica-Based Porous Adsorbents for Efficient 17α-Ethinylestradiol Removal: Role of Organic Functionalization and Water Matrices

Tiago Morais, Diogo Pereira, Geraldine Sequera, Ana C. Moreira, Marina Ilkaeva, Luís Mafra, Mariana Sardo, Vânia Calisto, Mirtha A. O. Lourenço
2026, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 18, 5.

Step-by-Step Real-Time Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Monitored Protocol for Synthesizing a Nitroxide-Functionalized Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica

Tiago Morais, Satyaki Chatterjee, Mirtha A. O. Lourenço, Mariana Sardo, Ildefonso Marín-Montesinos, Snorri Th. Sigurdsson, Luís Mafra
2026, Chemistry of Materials, 38, 12.

Mesoporous Copper-Based Metal-Organic Framework Flakes as a Promising Platform for Electrosynthesis of Ethylene from Carbon Dioxide

Mitra Bagheri, Mirtha A. O. Lourenço, Micaela Castellino, Silvia Nappini, Felicia Di Costola, Julien K. Dangbegnon, Elena Magnano, Luís Mafra, Fabrizio Pirri, Adriano Sacco, Juqin Zeng
2026, Small Science, 6, 8.

Green Synthesis of MOF-Based Materials for Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide

Bagheri, M; Lourenco, MAO; Dangbegnon, JK; Monti, NBD; Mafra, L; Pirri, F; Zeng, JQ
2025, CHEMSUSCHEM, 18, 2.

Pore structure engineering via hard-template synthesis: unlocking the high oxygen reduction reaction activity and stability of Fe-N@C electrocatalysts

Gianola, G; Lourenco, MAO; Basile, L; Morais, T; Mafra, L; Pirri, C; Specchia, S; Zeng, JQ
2025, NANOSCALE HORIZONS, 10, 9, 1975-1987.

Deciphering CO2 Adsorption Mechanisms at the Atomic Scale in Cellulose and Chitosan Aerogels

Pereira, D; Lourenco, MAO; Sardo, M; Silvestre, AJD; Marin-Montesinos, I; Mafra, L
2025, ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS, 7, 19, 12964-12977.

Unravelling the structure of CO2 in silica adsorbents: an NMR and computational perspective

Sardo, M; Morais, T; Soares, M; Vieira, R; Ilkaeva, M; Lourenço, MAO; Marín-Montesinos, I; Mafra, L
2024, CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS, 60, 30, 4015-4035.
ISBN: 1364-548X

Valorization of Crab Shells as Potential Sorbent Materials for CO2 Capture

Pereira, D; Ilkaeva, M; Vicente, F; Vieira, R; Sardo, M; Lourenço, MAO; Silvestre, A; Marin-Montesinos, I; Mafra, L
2024, ACS OMEGA, 9, 16, 17956-17965.

Evolution of bismuth electrodes activating electrosynthesis of formate from carbon dioxide reduction

Zeng, JQ; Monti, NBD; Chen, TF; Castellino, M; Ju, WB; Lourenço, MAO; Jagdale, P; Pirri, CF
2024, CATALYSIS TODAY, 437.
ISBN: 1873-4308

Impact of pyrolysis heating methods on biochars with enhanced CO2/N2 separation and their incorporation in 3D-printed composites

Correia, I; Ilkaeva, M; Castellino, M; Bocchini, S; Novais, RM; Mafra, L; Gonçalves, NPF; Lourenço, MAO
2024, JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, 12, 5.
ISBN: 2213-3437

Gas-organic and gas-inorganic interfacial effects in gas-adsorbent interaction: The case of CO2/CH4 separation

In M.-H. Delville (Eds.), Rational design of hybrid organic-inorganic interfaces: The next step towards advanced functional materials
M.A.O. Lourenço, J. R. B. Gomes, P. Ferreira
2018, 413-458, Weinheim, WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KgaA.
ISBN: 978-3-527-34255-6

Making Periodic Mesoporous Organosilicas Functional Materials

In Mahmood Aliofkhazraei (Eds.), Comprehensive Guide for Mesoporous Materials, Volume 4: Application and Commercialization
Paula Ferreira, Cláudia Bispo, Mirtha A. O. Lourenço, José R. B. Gomes, Nicolas Bion, Karine De Oliveira Vigier and François Jérôme
2015, 4, New York, Nova Publishers.
ISBN: 978-1-63482-092-9

We use cookies for marketing activities and to offer you a better experience. By clicking “Accept Cookies” you agree with our cookie policy. Read about how we use cookies by clicking "Privacy and Cookie Policy".


Privacy and Cookie Policy

Personal data

CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials respects your privacy, ensuring confidentiality of personal data you share with the institution through this way, not collecting any personal information about you without your consent, under the terms required by General Data Protection Regulations (RGPD).

The data collected in forms are intended exclusively for processing user requests and will not be used for any other purpose, always safeguarding their confidentiality, under the terms of the protection conferred by the aforementioned regulation.

The collection and processing of data is the responsibility of CICECO and its storage is properly protected, only authorized CICECO employees can access the information within the scope of their functions, always being clear in the respective collection forms the purposes for which they are intended. The remaining issues to be considered in this matter will be handled by the University of Aveiro in accordance with the regime established by the GDPR.

Cookies policy

Cookies are small files with alphanumeric information that are stored on your computer's hard drive by your browser and are intended to improve the user experience and enhance website navigation.

Collection and use of technical information

The cookies used on CICECO are anonymous, and no information about our users that allows their personal identification is stored in them.

The technical information recorded consists of:

  • iP (Internet Protocol) address of the visitor;
  • the type of internet browser used by the website visitor and the respective operating system used;
  • the date and time of the consultation;
  • the pages visited on the site and the documents downloaded
  • The technical information collected is used for statistical purposes only.

Cookies used

Session cookies

These cookies are used to record user preferences, such as the language in which websites are displayed or to maintain authenticated user sessions, and are automatically deleted when the browser is closed.

Persistent cookies

These cookies store information that is needed between sessions. For example, a persistent cookie is set to record that you have been made aware of the cookie policy so that the message regarding this policy is not shown again the next time you visit the website. This cookie remains on the computer until it reaches its expiry date or is deleted by the user.

Data protection

The present privacy policy covers the Information System of the University of Aveiro (SIUA), governed by the General Data Protection Regulations (RGPD) Regulation (EU) No. 2016/679, of April 27th, 2016.

Data Protection Officer

The University of Aveiro has a Data Protection Officer (DPO), who ensures compliance of the processing of personal data with the legislation in force, and is available through the following email address epd@ua.pt.

Close