Mirtha A. O. Lourenço

Assistant Researcher

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Department

  • Chemistry
  • 29.3.28

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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.

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.
ISBN: 1864-564X

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

Daniel Pereira, Mirtha A. O. Lourenço, Mariana Sardo, Armando J. D. Silvestre, Ildefonso Marin-Montesinos* and Luís Mafra*
2025, ACS Applied Polymer Materials.

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

Giulia Gianola, Mirtha A. O. Lourenço, Luca Basile, Tiago Morais, Luís Mafra, Candido Pirri, Stefania Specchia and Juqin Zeng
2025, Nanoscale Horizons, 10.

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

Revealing the competitive effect of N2 and H2O towards CO2 adsorption in N-rich ordered mesoporous carbons

E. Maruccia, A. Piovano, M.A.O. Lourenço, T. Priamushko, M. Cavallo, S. Bocchini, F. Bonino, F.C. Pirri, F. Kleitz, C. Gerbaldi
2023, Materials Today Sustainability, 21.

Multiscale Computational Approaches toward the Understanding of Materials

Bordonhos, M; Galvao, TLP; Gomes, JRB; Gouveia, JD; Jorge, M; Lourenço, MAO; Pereira, JM; Pérez-Sánchez, G; Pinto, ML; Silva, CM; Tedim, J; Zêzere, B
2023, ADVANCED THEORY AND SIMULATIONS, 6, 10.

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

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