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26 June 2026

Bruna Ferreira receives Best Student Presentation Award at International Workshop

Bruna Ferreira receives Best Student Presentation Award at International Workshop

Bruna Ferreira, a PhD student at CICECO and the Department of Chemistry of the University of Aveiro, has been awarded the Best Student Presentation Award at the International Workshop on Membrane Engineering, held in Naples, Italy, from 15–17 June 2026. The distinction recognises the quality and scientific impact of her oral presentation among student contributions from leading membrane engineering groups worldwide.

Bruna Ferreira received the award for presenting research on functionalized membranes designed to selectively recover valuable metals from industrial and electronic waste streams. The work addresses a growing global challenge: securing the critical raw materials needed for clean energy technologies while reducing the environmental footprint of conventional mining and recycling. 

Critical metals such as lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements are indispensable for batteries, wind turbines and solar panels, yet current recycling rates remain insufficient to meet increasing demand. Conventional recovery methods are often energy-intensive and rely on large quantities of chemicals. Bruna Ferreira's research explores an alternative approach based on tailor-made polymeric membranes capable of selectively separating metal ions, offering a more sustainable route for hydrometallurgical processes and battery recycling. 

Developed under the supervision of Pedro J. Carvalho, in collaboration with Afonso Lomba and Nicolas Schaeffer, the research focuses on modifying membrane structures to strengthen interactions with specific metal ions, improving separation efficiency while reducing solvent consumption and waste generation. 

The International Workshop on Membrane Engineering brought together researchers from academia and industry to discuss the latest advances in membrane materials, desalination, wastewater treatment, resource recovery and industrial separation technologies. Bruna Ferreira's recognition highlights the international visibility of research developed at CICECO in advanced separation technologies for a circular economy.

See the full book of abstracts here.

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