Selected Publications
We have a large number of publications in each of the outlined R&D focus areas, including numerous highly-cited review articles.
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B Agostinho, AJD Silvestre, JAP Coutinho, AF Sousa,* Synthetic (bio)degradable polymers - when does recycling fail?, Green Chem., 2023, 25, 13-31 (DOI: 10.1039/d2gc02726g) 2022 HOT Article for Green Chemistry |
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K Rihab, A Bougarech; S Zaidi, I. O. Althobaiti, M Abid, AJD Silvestre; AF Sousa,* S Abid, ACS Sustain Chem Eng, 2023, 11, 28, 10344–10351 (DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.3c01301) |
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B Agostinho, AJD Silvestre, AF Sousa,* From PEF to rPEF: disclosing the potential of deep eutectic solvents in continuous de-/re-polymerization recycling of biobased polyesters, Green Chem, 2022, 24, 3115-3119 (DOI: 10.1039/d2gc00074a) 2022 HOT Article for Green Chemistry |
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AF Sousa,* R Patrício, Z Terzopoulou, DN Bikiaris, T Stern, J Wenger, K Loos, N Lotti, V Siracusa, A Szymczyk, S Paszkiewicz, KS Triantafyllidis, A Zamboulis, MS Nikolic, P Spasojevic, S Thiyagarajan, DS Van Es, N Guigo, Recommendations for replacing PET on packaging, fiber, and film materials with biobased counterparts, Green Chem, 2021, 23 (22), 8795- 8820, (DOI: 10.1039/d1gc02082j) |
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AF Sousa,* AC Fonseca,* AC Serra, CSR Freire, AJD Silvestre and JFJ Coelho, New unsaturated copolyesters based on 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid and their crosslinked derivatives, Polym Chem, 2016, 7, 1049-1058 (DOI: 10.1039/c5py01702e) |
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AF Sousa,* C Vilela, AC Fonseca, M Matos, CSR Freire, G-JM Gruter, JFJ Coelho and AJD Silvestre, Biobased polyesters and other polymers from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid: a tribute to furan excellency, Polym Chem, 2015, 6, 5961-5983 (DOI:10.1039/C5PY00686D) Highly cited paper |
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Ongoing Supervisions
Feriel Abid
PhD Student
Mariana I. S. Aguiar
PhD Student
Simão Vidinha Pandeirada
PhD Student
Vinícius de Paula
PhD StudentProjects
Better Biobased Polymer Network (B3PO)
Local CoordinatorEuropean Comission
The chemical industry faces increasing pressure to reduce emissions and adopt sustainable alternatives. Replacing petroleum-based reactions with new, bio-based pathways will pave the way towards a circular industry. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the B3PO project aims to develop new methods for the synthesis of polyme...Green Plastic recycling: Additives removal THrough renewable solvents to enhancing the enzymatic depolymerization (GreenPATH)
PartnerFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
GreenPATH aims to develop a sustainable pretreatment process that combines high-pressure solid-liquid extraction (HP-SLE) with low-cost, renewable solvents, namely biosolvents and deep eutectic solvents (DES), to extract the additives in a key step prior to enzymatic depolymerization. The focus of this initiative is on the removal of organic and...GREEN-X: Advancing Sustainable Polymer Innovation through Circular Feedstocks, Greener Materials, and Industrial Collaboration (GREEN-X)
CoordinatorEuropean Comission
Plastics and coatings rely on fossil-based resources. At the same time, industries are under pressure to cut waste and recycle more effectively. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the GREEN-X project brings together top universities and companies to create greener pathways in polymer chemistry. Their aim is to convert alt...ABSolEU: closing the loop on ABS plastics recycling (ABSolEU)
Local CoordinatorEuropean Comission
At least 85% of end-of-life ABS plastic, found in durable products ranging from toys to automotive components and daily-use items such as shavers, ends up in landfills or being incinerated. The ABSolEU project aims to develop and mature a technology for the physical recycling of ABS, providing a clean and safe recyclate that is free of additives...European network of FURan based chemicals and materials FOR a Sustainable development (FUR4Sustain)
CoordinatorEuropean Comission
Modern society relies on a huge quantity of polymeric materials. However, today, these materials are still almost exclusively based on fossil-resources and evolution to a more sustainable model of development is required. In this perspective, biomass and, in particular carbohydrates from, for example, low value biomass wa...ILLIANCE (ILLIANCE (WP4 - OLI Health))
PartnerIndustry National
ILLIANCE Agenda embodies a complex ecosystem of integrated projects which aims at addressing the goal of carbon neutrality of the buildings sector, which represents 40% of global CO2 emissions. The adopted approach adopted is based on the development of complementary technologies associated with 3 core pillars, i.e.: health, comfort and sustaina...Rational design of a thermostable esterase for the production of highvalue bioplastics for biomedical applications (ThermoEst)
Local CoordinatorFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
This project is focused on the design of customized thermostable enzymes to produce highvaluebiopolymers for biomedicalapplications.We are living a new industrial production paradigm era, where biocatalysis is becoming increasingly competitive and replacingtraditional chemical synthesis. Nowadays, ...Publications
Breaking the cycle: A novel eco-friendly strategy for poly(hexamethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) synthesis and recycling
Feriel Abid, Paula S.S. Lacerda, Vinícius de Paula, Catarina F. Araújo, Fabio Aricò, Armando J.D. Silvestre, Andreia F. Sousa
2026, Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy, 50.
Closing the Loop: Greener and Efficient Hydrolytic Depolymerization for the Recycling of Polyesters Using Biobased Eutectic Solvents
de Paula, V; Pandeirada, SV; Ribeiro-Claro, PJA; Silvestre, AJD; Sousa, AF
2025, ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, 13, 9, 3577-3587.
Optimized closed-loop recycling of bio-based poly(trimethylene 2,5-furan-dicarboxylate) using eutectic solvents
Agostinho, B; Irska, I; Kwiatkowska, M; Szymczyk, A; Silvestre, AJD; Sousa, AF
2025, SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES, 45.
Reactivity of Pseudozyma antarctica lipase B towards the synthesis of end-capped polycaprolactone for drug delivery
Figueiredo, PR; Silvestre, AJD; Sousa, AF; Carvalho, ATP
2025, MATERIALS TODAY CHEMISTRY, 44.
Crystallization behavior of biobased poly(butylene furandicarboxylate) (PBF): Influence of amorphous chain mobility, diffusion and nucleation on thermodynamic and kinetic control
Sbirrazzuoli, N; Lahfaidh, FEN; Sousa, AF; Molinari, G; Righetti, MC
2025, POLYMER, 335.
Heating-induced dimensional changes in crystal lattice and lamellar thickness of isothermally crystallized poly(butylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) (PBF)
Righetti, MC; Matxinandiarena, E; Sousa, AF; Müller, AJ
2025, POLYMER, 335.
Synthesis of semi-rigid-biobased polyesters from renewable furanic cyclobutane diacid
Grilo, LM; Faoro, S; Agostinho, B; Sousa, AF; Guigo, N; Loos, K; Maniar, D; Lacerda, TM
2025, POLYMER CHEMISTRY, 16, 34.
Unveiling the uncommon crystallization features of 3,4-PEF, a thermal and DFT study
Pandeirada, SV; Araujo, CF; Nolasco, MM; Vaz, PD; Rudic, S; Silvestre, AJD; Guigo, N; Ribeiro-Claro, P; Sousa, AF
2025, POLYMER, 320.
A Greener Approach to 2,5-Furandicarboxylate Macrocycles and their Entropically Driven Ring Opening Polymerization
Sadraoui, C; Trapasso, G; Abid, F; Lacerda, PSS; Sousa, AF; Aricò, F
2025, EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, 28, 45.
Leveraging molybdenum sulfur compounds as catalysts for the synthesis of biobased poly(ethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylate) and recycling
Razinkov, D; Agostinho, B; Suman, SG; Sousa, AF
2025, RSC SUSTAINABILITY, 3, 1.
