Ana Maria da Conceição Ferreira Takahashi

Junior Researcher

Short CV

Ana M. Ferreira is currently a Junior Researcher at the Aveiro Institute of Materials (CICECO), University of Aveiro, and Principal Investigator of the FCT-funded project GreenPATH (2023.15169.PEX), which focuses on developing sustainable strategies for polymer recycling.

Her career has been shaped by international research experiences, including PhD stays at Universidade Estadual Paulista (Brazil) and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (Japan), as well as postdoctoral fellowships at the Technical University of Munich (Germany, as a TUM University Foundation Fellow) and Kanazawa University (Japan, as a JSPS Fellow).

Her research focuses on the development of sustainable processes using eco-friendly solvents for the valorization of biomass and the recycling of plastic waste. She integrates green chemistry and biotechnology tools in circular economy contexts, with a particular interest in bio-based solvents and enzyme-assisted strategies.

Ana Ferreira has authored 43 peer-reviewed publications, 4 book chapters, and 1 patent (h-index 20, >1400 citations). She has participated in 7 research projects, leading 2 as Principal Investigator, and collaborates with academic and industrial partners including Mistolin, LEGO, and Volvo within European initiatives such as FUR4Sustain and ABSolEU.

In addition to her research, she has supervised over 25 students and is actively involved in scientific dissemination. She contributed to the organization of international events such as IMIL2024 and the Plastic 360º workshop (2024). Her work has been recognized with several Best Poster Awards at international conferences and, most recently, with the CICECO Young Researcher Award (2024).

Background

2014-2018: PhD in Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Portugal.

2011-2013: MSc in Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Portugal.

2008-2011: BSc in Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Portugal.

Personal Webpage

Visit https://sites.google.com/site/anamariaconceicaoferreira0113/ for more information about Ana M. Ferreira's research activities, publications, projects, and academic background.

Scientific Interests

Ana M. Ferreira's current research focuses on the development of sustainable processes through the use of eco-friendly solvents, with a particular emphasis on the valorization of biomass and the recycling of plastic waste. Her work targets the extraction of bioactive compounds from biomass and the selective recovery of polymers from plastic waste, including the removal of additives. She uses computational tools such as COSMO-RS to support the rational selection of green solvents, including ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, and biosolvents. She also explores enzyme-assisted approaches for depolymerization, extraction, and transformation, integrating green chemistry and biotechnology within circular economy frameworks.

Ongoing Supervisions

Projects

Publications

Using COSMO-RS in the Design of Deep Eutectic Solvents for the Extraction of Antioxidants from Rosemary

Wojeicchowski, JP; Ferreira, AM; Abranches, DO; Mafra, MR; Coutinho, JAP
2020, ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, 8, 32, 12132-12141.

Recovery of Syringic Acid from Industrial Food Waste with Aqueous Solutions of Ionic Liquids

de Faria, ELP; Ferreira, AM; Claudio, AFM; Coutinho, JAP; Silvestre, AJD; Freire, MG
2019, ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, 7, 16, 14143-14152.

Continuous separation of cytochrome-c PEGylated conjugates by fast centrifugal partition chromatography

Santos, JHPM; Ferreira, AM; Almeida, MR; Quinteiro, PSGN; Dias, ACRV; Coutinho, JAP; Freire, MG; Rangel-Yagui, CO; Ventura, SPM
2019, GREEN CHEMISTRY, 21, 20, 5501-5506.
ISBN: 1463-9270

Cloud Point Extraction of Chlorophylls from Spinach Leaves Using Aqueous Solutions of Nonionic Surfactants

Leite, AC; Ferreira, AM; Morais, ES; Khan, I; Freire, MG; Coutinho, JAP
2018, ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, 6, 1, 590-599.

An integrated process for enzymatic catalysis allowing product recovery and enzyme reuse by applying thermoreversible aqueous biphasic systems

Ferreira, AM; Passos, H; Okafuji, A; Tavares, APM; Ohno, H; Freire, MG; Coutinho, JAP
2018, GREEN CHEMISTRY, 20, 6, 1218-1223.

Enhanced separation performance of aqueous biphasic systems formed by carbohydrates and tetraalkylphosphonium- or tetraalkylammonium-based ionic liquids

Quental, MV; Pereira, MM; Ferreira, AM; Pedro, SN; Shahriari, S; Mohamadou, A; Coutinho, JAP; Freire, MG
2018, GREEN CHEMISTRY, 20, 13, 2978-2983.

Designing the thermal behaviour of aqueous biphasic systems composed of ammonium-based zwitterions

Ferreira, AM; Passos, H; Okafuji, A; Freire, MG; Coutinho, JAP; Ohno, H
2017, GREEN CHEMISTRY, 19, 17, 4012-4016.

Enhanced extraction and biological activity of 7-hydroxymatairesinol obtained from Norway spruce knots using aqueous solutions of ionic liquids

Ferreira, AM; Morais, ES; Leite, AC; Mohamadou, A; Holmbom, B; Holmbom, T; Neves, BM; Coutinho, JAP; Freire, MG; Silvestre, AJD
2017, GREEN CHEMISTRY, 19, 11, 2626-2635.

Switchable (pH-driven) aqueous biphasic systems formed by ionic liquids as integrated production-separation platforms

Ferreira, AM; Claudio, AFM; Valega, M; Domingues, FMJ; Silvestre, AJD; Rogers, RD; Coutinho, JAP; Freire, MG
2017, GREEN CHEMISTRY, 19, 12, 2768-2773.

Are Aqueous Biphasic Systems Composed of Deep Eutectic Solvents Ternary or Quaternary Systems?

Passos, H; Tavares, DJP; Ferreira, AM; Freire, MG; Coutinho, JAP
2016, ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING, 4, 5, 2881-2886.

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